Nightmares
by all4jesus84
Summary: Sequel to The New Addition. Sara has been with Jesse and Becky for nine months, but when the parents who abandoned her come back to San Francisco, how will she react? COMPLETE
1. Sara's Family

Sara Katsoppolus groaned as she rolled out of bed, feeling the effects of a Monday morning. She staggered over to her bedroom window, tearing open the curtains and squinting at the bright sun which had already marked its place over San Francisco. She rubbed her eyes, willing herself to wake up, and made her way to her closet, picking out a pair of capri shorts and a green T-shirt.

As she got dressed, memories of the dream she had the previous night were coming back slowly. Sara couldn't understand why dreams of her parents had become more regular lately, but she didn't like them. She blamed it on the fact that she had been thinking about them a lot recently, to her surprise. She was happy now; she was safe, and loved. It was beyond her why, after five years since she had last seen her parents, thoughts of them were escalating again.

Sara hated to remember that day when she was nine. Still so fresh in her memory was those moments when she arrived home to find an abandoned house; no food, no furniture, no parents. Her parents had abandoned their only daughter, the daughter they never showed any love to, or nurture, or care. Sara remembered countless attempts to please her parents, desperate for them to love her, and marked their abandonment as her failure. She spent the next four years in different group homes, until she met Jesse and Becky Katsoppolus when she was residing at the Jacobson Group Home for Girls in San Francisco.

Sara was 13 when she was introduced to the couple, who were looking to adopt a young teenage girl. Sara was a troubled teenager, who was still dealing with the pain of her parents leaving her, and refused to believe there was a family out there who could and _would_ take care of her. She never talked about what had happened that day when she was nine; secluding herself into her own corrupted beliefs and thoughts, until she was told Jesse and Becky had adopted her.

It was a rough road, trying to get comfortable with the idea of having a family, trying to open up and deal with the pain, but Sara got through it all. She managed to open up about her past, and come to terms with it. She knew, and always would know, how impossible it would have been without Jesse and Becky, supporting her every step of the way.

Now, 14 years old, Sara had been living with the Katsoppolus' for nine months. Sara felt so lucky to have such a large family, since it was not just Becky and Jesse who she lived with. Sara had always been an only child, and when she was adopted, she become a big sister to two twin boys, Nikki and Alex, who were two years old. Sara loved them so much, glad to have little brothers she could play with and hang out with.

Jesse, Becky, Sara, Nikki and Alex lived in the upstairs apartment of a large house, owned by Jesse's brother-in-law, Danny Tanner, who was the father of three girls, DJ, Stephanie and Michelle. Sara and Stephanie had become best friends in no time at all, getting along from Sara's first day as a member of the family. They both went to the same middle school and were in the same classes, and Sara couldn't have been happier to have her best friend living in the same house as her, as though they really were sisters. Then there was Joey, Jesse's best friend, who lived in the house as well. Sara loved having ten people living under the same roof, each with their own unique and distinct personalities and attitudes. Life was never boring at 1882 Gerard Street, that was for sure.

* * *

Sara ran a brush through her tangled hair, wincing at the pain. She looked at her digital clock on her dresser and realized she was running late. _Great._ She thought bitterly as she sped up her hair brushing, muttering under her breath. She didn't even hear her bedroom door squeak open, allowing entry to two twin boys with mischievous grins on their faces. Nikki and Alex tiptoed into the room, and hopped onto Sara's bed, beginning to jump on and down. Sara turned around with a start.

"Dood morning Sawa." Alex yelled out in between hops. Nikki copied his brother as he grinned from ear to ear. Sara let out a breath and shook her head with a small smile.

"Don't you guys know how to knock?" She asked, as she went to her bed and helped the boys down.

"Play with us, Sawa." Nikki said as he tugged on Sara's hand, Alex doing the same to her other hand.

"I can't guys, I have to go to school." Sara replied, pulling her hands away apologetically. The boys didn't seem to mind, as they ran from the room, shouting Michelle's name. Sara smiled, knowing nine-year-old Michelle would play with her cousins without a doubt.

Sara didn't bother brushing out the last of her tangles; there wouldn't be enough time, and besides, you could hardly see them, she reasoned. She grabbed her bag and darted from her room, where she saw Jesse sitting at the table, pen poised above a notepad, a pensive look spread across his face.

"Good morning squirt." He said flatly without glancing up from his paper once. Sara puckered her brow.

"Morning." She replied. "What are you doing?" Jesse finally looked up, bags under his eyes. _He's been up all night._ Sara thought.

"I'm trying to write this song for the band. We're performing at the Smash Club in a couple of weeks and we wanted to go for something new, something fresh. But I'm just getting nowhere." Jesse admitted as he stared at the blank page in front of him. Sara wished she could stay and help him; he had let her before. She was proud of the fact that some of Jesse's songs had lyrics she had written herself.

"I'm sure you'll think of something, Jesse. I'm sorry I can't help you, but I've gotta get ready for school." Sara apologized. Jesse shrugged casually.

"Yeah I guess school's kinda important, huh? Go on, get outta here. I'll see you later, and I might just take you up on your offer to help me out. Maybe we need something youth-inspired." Jesse pretended to gaze off into the distance, as though pondering the future, as Sara smiled.

"Sure Jesse." She said simply, and ran past him.

"See you, squirt. Don't get into too much trouble." Jesse called after her. She agreed and ran down the stairs to the kitchen, where Stephanie was sitting at the dining room table, already finishing a glass of juice.

"Hey Steph." Sara said as she breathed out. Stephanie waved as Sara began to pour herself a bowl of cereal.

"Where were you last night? Did you have a dance class?" Sara asked, as she coated her cereal with milk. Stephanie shook her head.

"No, I was at Gia's house. We were studying for that test we have in social sciences tomorrow." Stephanie replied as she put her dishes in the sink. Sara nodded. Gia was one of Stephanie's and Sara's classmates, whom Stephanie had been spending more time with lately, hanging out and doing homework together.

"Oh, that's cool. Do you think you'll pass it?" Sara asked. Stephanie shrugged.

"I hope so, but I think Mr. Dawson will throw out some questions on the test that make no sense. He does that sometimes, haven't you noticed?" She asked. Sara grinned.

"That's for sure. I think he does it just to throw us off." She replied. Stephanie nodded her agreement with a sigh.

"Oh well, it's not important. I'm just glad I had the chance to study with Gia. Things make much more sense when you study together than alone." She said. Sara nodded.

"Yeah that's for sure. Maybe you and I can study tonight, since the test is tomorrow." She offered. Stephanie paused, as though thinking, before she made a face.

"Well, Gia's coming over tonight so we can study together again." She said.

"Oh okay, no problem. I'll just get Becky to help me review some stuff before tomorrow." Sara said with a smile. "Though some of his questions will go right over my head, no matter _how_ hard I study." She rolled her eyes. Stephanie laughed. Sara was trying desperately to finish her cereal so she would be on time for school.

"Sorry I'm running a bit late today, Steph. I don't know what got into me this morning, but I'll be ready to go right after I'm done my breakfast." She said as she shoved a spoonful of Fruit Loops into her mouth.

"Well, I didn't know you'd be running late this morning, Sara. Gia's on her way over right now, and so, I-"

"Oh, alright. I'll have to catch up then." Sara replied, slowing down a little on her cereal. Stephanie smiled as she went to answer the door. It was Gia, ready to go. Stephanie called a quick goodbye to Sara and left the house. Sara sighed and sat down at the counter, sipping a glass of juice as she wondered if she was going to be late for school.

As Sara was just finishing up her breakfast, Becky came downstairs with Danny behind her, both dressed for work. Danny and Becky were co-hosts for the morning talk show "Wake Up San Francisco."

Danny went straight for the kitchen, already grabbing a cloth and beginning to wipe down the counters. Sara suppressed a laugh. From the moment she had moved into this house, she had known Danny to be a total neat freak, and knew he would never have a moment's rest unless every room in the house was spotless.

"Good morning, sweetheart." Becky said as she sat down next to Sara, dropping her briefcase on the floor next to her. Sara smiled.

"Good morning, Becky." She replied as she watched Danny clear her dishes away without a thought. Sara shook her head with a sigh.

"Did you have a good sleep?" Becky asked. Sara thought about her dream, the memories of which were beginning to fade now. She shrugged.

"I guess. I...I dreamt of them again last night." Sara admitted. Nine months ago when she first moved in with the Katsoppolus', she would have never admitted that truth, but she had learned that being open and honest was safe with this family, and telling them things would not get her into trouble.

Becky sighed sympathetically. She knew all about what had happened to Sara five years ago, and it broke her heart to think about the pain Sara must have endured those years, and she hated to see how it still affected Sara in many ways.

"Have they been happening a lot, Sara?" Becky asked, referring to the dreams again. Sara nodded.

"Yeah, a few times a week, now." She admitted, but didn't admit she had been thinking of them in her waking hours as well. There were some things she still felt she wanted to keep secret. It embarrassed her to think of them; she felt guilty. Her life was good now; she felt she didn't have the right to think about her biological parents, but found she couldn't help it.

"Well listen Sara, if they get to be too painful, and you wake up and you're freaked out, or upset, come wake us up, okay? Don't deal with it alone." Becky said. Sara nodded, knowing she could always depend on Jesse and Becky for anything.

Becky got up, arranging her things in her briefcase, as Danny was fussing with his tie in the hallway mirror.

"Where's Steph, Sara? Don't you usually walk with her to school in the morning?" Becky asked, as she stared at her watch. "And aren't you usually out of the house by now?"

"I was running late this morning. Stephanie walked to school with Gia." Sara replied. Becky puckered her brow.

"They wouldn't wait for you?" She asked. Sara shrugged.

"Well, look, why don't I drive you to school? I have some time before I have to be at work." She peered over at Danny, and lowered her voice to a whisper as she turned back to Sara. "And it looks like Danny's going to be a while with his tie anyway." Sara giggled as she grabbed her backpack and followed Becky out the door to her car. Sara was thankful for the time she got to spend with Becky; Jesse as well. They cared about her, and wanted to spend time with her, an action that was foreign to her before she moved in, and was still getting used to. But still, even small instances like getting a ride to school were things she was sure she would always treasure, because they were things that she had never received before now.


	2. Sara's Promise

"Thanks Becky, I'll see you after school." Sara said as she opened the car door.

"Okay sweetie, have a good day." Becky watched with a smile as Sara slammed the door shut and headed toward her school. Sara quickly checked her watch and saw that she had just made it, the bell was just about to ring. _I'll have just enough time to make it to my locker._ She thought, as she quickened her pace.

The school hallways were fairly empty, give or take the few late-comers who were rushing to get their books and binders from their lockers. Sara breathed out quickly as she jammed her backpack in her locker and grabbed her binder for her first period English class. She heard the bell ring, as she slammed her locker shut and raced to her classroom, just in time.

The first thing Sara noticed was Stephanie sitting beside Gia near the front of the classroom, where Stephanie and Sara usually sat. Gia had moved into the empty desk beside Stephanie's, and they were chatting away. Stephanie smiled at Sara as Sara lowered herself into her desk with a heavy sigh. _I made it! Thank goodness!_ She thought as she dropped her binder on her desk. She turned to talk to Stephanie, but Stephanie was already whispering and giggling with Gia, and Sara didn't want to interrupt, so she opened her binder to a fresh page, and waited for her teacher to begin the lesson.

* * *

Throughout the lesson, Stephanie and Gia were talked to a few times by the teacher, because of their giggling, which was a distraction to the class, according to Ms. Wintameyer. Sara was slightly caught off guard; Stephanie was usually a good student who paid attention in class and often wasn't spoken to by Ms. Wintameyer, or any of their other teachers. Sara didn't know too much about Gia, but from what she was gathering from her so far, she wasn't exactly the greatest influence on Stephanie. _It's just because it's new, I bet. They've only been hanging out for a week or so. It'll pass and Stephanie will be her old self again._ She thought to herself, as she tried to ignore the giggles from the girls.

It continued on throughout the whole day at school. Between classes, Stephanie and Gia would stop at their lockers, and discuss the cutest boys that week, and their plans for the weekend. Sara followed from behind, not wanting to interrupt their conversations, but feeling a little left out at the same time. _You'd think they were joined at the hip._ She thought to herself, and suppressed her own giggle as she remembered when Jesse used to say that about her and Stephanie when she was first adopted.

Sara sat with the girls at lunch, but was barely able to say a word, between their conversations about things that Sara found extremely uninteresting, and what was more, she couldn't understand how Stephanie was interested at all. Stephanie always had a crush on someone; that was true, but the way they were talking about fashion, and hair, and makeup, Sara would have guessed Stephanie had come from another planet and replaced her friend. Sara could remember countless times when she and Steph would talk about how silly it was to fuss over hair, and clothes, and how superficial it really was, and yet here she was, contradicting herself. Sara didn't understand, and in all honesty, didn't mind so much. _I think it's great Stephanie has a new friend. Maybe she'll be a good influence on Gia._ She smiled to herself.

* * *

After school, the three girls walked home together, Stephanie and Gia talking about the social sciences test that was scheduled for the next day.

"So I'll have my dad drop me off at your place tonight after dinner, is that okay?" Stephanie asked. Gia nodded.

"Yeah, my mom will be gone tonight, so it'll just be the two of us, so it should be pretty quiet." She replied. Sara sighed, and hoped Becky would go over some of the material with her tonight. She always studied better with someone than studying alone, and had really hoped Stephanie would study with her, but knew better than to ask to tag along to Gia's house to study. _I don't think Gia has ever said one word to me._ She reflected as she kicked a stone.

"Do you guys think his test will be hard?" Sara asked as they turned onto Gerard Street. Stephanie shrugged.

"I don't think it will be hard, I mean, it's all true and false questions. How hard can it be?" She asked. Before Sara had a chance to respond, Gia spoke up.

"Oh my gosh, did you _see_ what Brett did to his hair today? I could have melted on the spot!" She exclaimed, and the topic of the test was forgotten as Sara had to listen about Brett's perfect hair until they finally reached their house.

Sara and Gia ran inside the house, gossiping away, as Sara dropped her backpack on the grass, and grabbed her basketball, throwing it into the backyard hoop. It was her favourite sport, and usually played with Stephanie for a little bit after school. Becky would sometimes join her when Stephanie was busy, bragging about how she used to be on the basketball team when she was in high school and teased when Sara won, claiming she "let her win."

"Hey Sara." DJ said as she entered the backyard with her friend Kimmy. Sara smiled.

"Hi Deej." She replied.

"Where's Steph? She's usually out here with you most days." DJ inquired, looking around the yard.

"She's upstairs with Gia, I bet. They haven't left each other's sight all day." Sara said as she rolled her eyes playfully. DJ laughed a bit.

"Well, unfortunately I have to go cause some trouble. Stephanie took my sweater today without asking, and I _know_ it was her, because Michelle saw her take it. You can always rely on Michelle to be a tattle-tale, but hey, I'm not complaining or anything." She said. Sara laughed.

"Your green sweater? Yeah, Steph was wearing it today. There, now you have two witnesses in case Steph's already thrown it back into your closet." She said.

"Thanks Sara. Have fun, see you later." DJ and Kimmy went into the house and Sara continued to shoot hoops for a while, until she became tired, and plopped herself down, lying on the grass and staring at the clouds. Sara remembered when she was at Jacobson's before she was adopted, lying in the front courtyard, staring at the sky with her best friend Britney, who was still at the Group Home. They would often joke about how they should enjoy staring at the clouds and discriminating shapes while they still could, because their childhood would not last forever.

Sara smiled, and made a mental note to call Britney soon, or plan a visit. She missed her so much.

"Hey Sara." Becky entered the backyard with her briefcase, just returning home from work. "Are you alone?" Sara sat up and stared at Becky, who looked as though she had had a really long day. She puckered her brow.

"Yeah, I'm alone. Why?" She wanted to know.

"Did you walk home by yourself?" Becky looked nervous, or worried or something, so Sara shook her head.

"No I walked home with Steph and Gia. Why?" She asked, as Becky sighed and lowered herself down to kneel beside Sara.

"I don't want you walking _anywhere_ by yourself, ever, okay? I don't want you going anywhere by yourself. If you're stuck, or you have nobody to walk home with, or _anything_ like that, call me or call Jesse for a ride. Do you understand, Sara?" Becky asked, and Sara could tell she was being serious. She nodded.

"I do, but Becky, I don't get it. You've let me walk to school before, or down to the store alone. What's the big deal?" She wanted to know. Becky stared at her, and she knew she couldn't lie to her. Sara deserved to know what was going on.

"We had a youth psychologist on our show today to discuss her current research on the increase of teenage gangs in San Francisco." Becky explained. Sara waited, knowing there must be more to the story than just that.

"Sara, these gangs are everywhere. Most of them are teen runaways, but they've been getting more violent with people lately, especially young people. They jump people, and they hurt them. They beat them, sometimes very badly. Sara's face paled at the thought, and she swallowed hard.

"Why? Why would they do something like that?" She asked. Becky sighed, shaking her head.

"I don't know Sara, but it's awful. They don't have any good reason; they just jump whoever happens to be in their path. The psychologist on the show told us the kids in the gangs come from bad home lives, and they lash out on people younger than them to gain some control in their lives, for a feeling of power, since they're helpless to control whatever's going on at home." She explained. Sara breathed out slowly, unable to imagine what could cause a person to become so angry with the world. _I mean, it makes me mad what mom and dad did to me, but...to beat up innocent people?_ She couldn't understand, but could remember Ms. Morrison always telling her, there are as many coping strategies as there are people in the world who have dealt with something painful.

"So I want you to be careful, and the best way to do that is to make sure you're never by yourself. So please, walk to school with Steph, and if you can't, call somebody. Can you promise me you'll do that, Sara?" Becky asked. Sara nodded without a thought.

"Yeah, I will." She paused. "Thanks for telling me." She still had shivers going down her spine at the thought of her city, her neighborhood being unsafe. Becky smiled.

"That's my girl." She said, as she looked around. "So, where's Stephanie and Gia?"

"Probably upstairs. The last thing I heard was DJ was going to give Steph a hard time about raiding her closet again." Sara explained with a slight rolling of the eyes. Becky had to grin.

"Why aren't you hanging out with them?" She wanted to know. Sara's smile faded as she let out a small sigh, shaking her head.

"Well, they don't seem to really want me around. Gia has never said a word to me, and the two of them seem really close, like they don't really want to let anybody in." Sara watched as Becky smiled sympathetically. Sara shrugged. "It's no big deal. I'll hang out with Steph later. I guess I'm just not used to Stephanie hanging out with anybody else. It's just always been her and me since I've been here. Besides, I have to study for a test tonight. Oh, if you're not busy, do you think you could help me review some stuff?"

"No problem, we'll do it after dinner." Becky smiled. "Right now, I think I'll go change and join you out here for some basketball. I need to wind down after my day, are you in?"

"Sure, I'll just practice while you're getting changed."

"How is that fair?" Becky smiled jokingly. "Okay kiddo, I'll be right back." Becky got up off the grass and made her way into the house. Sara sighed as she grabbed the basketball and started shooting hoops. She thought about Stephanie, and how the two of them would normally play basketball after school, with Becky sometimes joining them, but over the last few days, Sara had barely seen Stephanie without Gia standing right next to her, and for some reason or another, the two of them weren't interested in having a third party. _Stephanie's allowed to have friends, you know. This will fly by. _Sara threw her ball into the net, swearing she could hear giggles coming from Stephanie's bedroom window, which was right above her. _This will fly by._


	3. What Sara Heard

"Well, I have three Aces, is that a good hand?" Sara asked, as she laid her cards down on the table for Jesse and Joey to see. Joey sighed and slammed his cards down.

"Jess, this isn't fair! She's been winning all night, and she doesn't even know how to play." He complained. Sara shrugged with a small smile.

"I guess that means it's a good hand." She said innocently. Joey glared at her, and Jesse laughed.

It was the weekend now, and Stephanie was having Gia sleep over. The two of them were up in Steph's room, looking at magazines and talking about all the cute boys who attended their middle school. Sara hadn't been invited to join in on their sleep over, so she had decided to spend the evening doing homework, but soon found herself bored. Though she was already in her pajamas, she found it was too early to go to bed. Nikki and Alex hadn't even gone to bed yet. They had been playing with Michelle in the living room since dinner was over. DJ had gone out with her boyfriend Steve, and Becky and Danny were busy planning their show for the next day. Sara had wandered the house for something to do when she had come across Joey and Jesse playing a game of poker at the kitchen table, and made herself comfortable as their audience. It had been Joey's suggestion to teach her how to play, but as she was slowly learning, he found himself losing to every hand she laid out.

"It's a good thing we aren't betting any money, or I'd be broke." Joey said as he shuffled the cards for the next hand. Jesse smirked.

"Yeah, 'cause Becky would be thrilled at the idea of me letting Sara gamble." He rolled his eyes. Sara shrugged.

"We don't have to tell her." She smiled as Jesse playfully punched her.

As Joey dealt the next hand, Sara heard Steph and Gia's giggles from where she was sitting. She wasn't the only one. Joey sighed.

"They've been doing that all night." He shook his head. "Jess, I swear, I'll never understand teenage girls." Sara turned and raised an eyebrow at Joey, who shrugged.

"What? I'm serious!" He confessed.

"Have you _ever_ heard me giggle like that, Joey?" Sara asked, crossing her arms. Joey cocked his head, and appeared to be thinking. Jesse suppressed a smile.

"I guess not. No, I don't think I've heard you giggle like that." Joey concluded. Sara nodded.

"That's what I thought." She took her set of cards, and began organize them in her hand, trying to make sense of them.

"Just out of curiosity, squirt, why aren't you hanging out with Steph and Gia instead of me and Joey." He widened his eyes. "Don't get me wrong, it's been great teaching you how to play poker. I just thought you'd be more interested in hanging around somebody, you know, hip and young like you."

Sara sighed.

"Don't ask." She said simply, trying to conceal the fact that she had been ignored by Stephanie and Gia for the last few days. She waited as Joey and Jesse finally revealed their hands, before she laid down her own cards.

"Are those any good?" She asked. Joey groaned as he stared at the cards, and Jesse sighed, throwing his hands in the air.

"A royal flush." Joey said disbelievingly, as he turned to Jesse. "That's it. I quit."

* * *

After Sara helped gather the cards and clean up the table before Danny saw the mess of potato chips and soda, she headed upstairs to her bedroom to listen to some music. As she reached the top of the staircase to the second floor, she heard the ever-famous giggles coming from Stephanie's bedroom, and Sara rolled her eyes. _Will this ever end?_ She thought, as Steph's door flew open, and Michelle came storming out, clutching a pillow tightly.

"Hey Michelle, what's going on?" Sara wanted to know. Michelle sighed.

"I'm staying with DJ tonight." She confessed, glaring in the direction of the bedroom she shared with Stephanie. "_They_ are not being nice! Besides, they're too loud!" Michelle allowed herself entrance to DJ's room, and shut the door behind her. Sara had to laugh. _I wonder how DJ's going to react when she comes home to find Michelle making herself comfortable in her room._

Sara continued along to her attic home, passing by Stephanie's bedroom in the meantime, still hearing the giggles. She ignored them, passing by casually, but slowed when she could make out what Gia was saying.

"She's _so_ weird! She tries so hard to just fit in, but she can't. Seriously, Steph, are you the only friend Sara has?" Gia asked, still laughing. Sara felt her stomach drop, as she leaned in closer. Surely Stephanie would defend her, wouldn't she?

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure. I mean, she has a friend back at Jacobson, but yeah, she hangs out with me all the time." Stephanie replied, following Gia's contagious giggles.

"Honestly, that's _pathetic!_ It's actually _sad._ What a loser." Gia and Stephanie continued to laugh, and Sara listened to Gia's cruel remarks and Stephanie's silence and laughter from the hallway, tears threatening to spill.

"Honestly Steph, what are you _doing_ hanging out with her? It won't do much for your reputation, and besides, you have me now." Gia said. Sara couldn't take it anymore. She ran from where she had been eavesdropping and darted toward her bedroom, tears finally escaping from her eyes. She barely saw Becky sitting at the table in the attic, who was working on new show ideas. Sara slammed her bedroom door behind her and threw herself onto her bed, crying uncontrollably. _Why didn't she defend me? She's supposed to be my best friend! Why would she just let Gia say those awful things? What's happening to Steph? I hate Gia! I _hate_ her!_

Sara didn't even hear her bedroom door slowly open as her muffled sobs ran through her ears. Becky carefully approached her daughter, sinking onto the bed next to her, speaking calmly.

"Sara?" She soothed. "What happened?" Becky was patient, and waited as Sara's crying suddenly stopped, replaced by a deep breathing.

"Nothing, it's okay." She managed to say. Becky shook her head. Despite her terrific progress over the last nine months in opening up, there were still times when Sara insisted on handling things on her own.

"Sara, don't lie to me." Becky said quietly, rubbing Sara's back. "Just tell me." Sara's sniffles died down, and after a while, she finally sat up, but still faced the wall, not wanting Becky to see she had been crying.

"It's Stephanie." Sara said through gritted teeth. Her sadness was slowly turning into anger, as she could feel the tension building up inside of her. _How could she just let Gia talk like that?_

"What about Stephanie? What happened?" Becky asked. Sara hesitated but finally recounted for Becky exactly what she had heard Gia say about her; every cruel word, every nasty name, every time Stephanie just sat there, letting Gia talk that way about a girl who was supposed to be her friend, and then laugh about it. Sara's emotions were raging inside of her; feelings of betrayal ran through her veins, angering her more and more each moment.

"Sara, you know none of those things are true. Gia's just got some problems, and she seems to think that by finding somebody to tease and make fun of, it will make her seem cool." Becky said quietly.

"But Stephanie is supposed to be my _friend!_ But instead of sticking up for me, she went along with it! How could she?" Sara asked loudly, shaking her head. Becky was silent, until she finally wrapped her arms around Sara and held her.

"It's okay, Sara. _Everything_ will be okay. You and Stephanie are friends, and eventually Steph will realize what she did was wrong, and she'll come to her senses. She's just caught up in the moment of having a new friend." Becky waited. "I think you need to talk to Stephanie, sweetie. You know how important it is to talk things out, and I think Stephanie needs to know what you heard, so she can understand the seriousness of what she did. So please, Sara, try talking to her before you let this anger build up inside. You know that's not good for you."

Sara sighed, knowing Becky was right, but feeling so angry at the moment, she didn't even want to consider talking to Stephanie ever again.

"I can't talk to her right now, she's with Gia." Sara admitted, feeling as though her head were going to explode.

"I know, Sara, you don't have to do it tonight, but please consider it. Don't let it wait too long." Becky asked. Sara hesitated for quite some time before she finally nodded and agreed. Becky nodded.

"That's my girl."

* * *

Becky had managed to get Sara to calm down enough to go to bed, and as Becky quietly closed the door to Sara's bedroom behind her, she saw Jesse lounging on the couch, watching TV. He looked up and could read Becky's face like a book.

"Is she okay?" Jesse asked. Becky sighed, and lowered herself down on the couch, allowing herself to be held by her husband.

"I think she will be. There's just problems between her and Steph right now." Becky explained.

"What kind of problems?" Jesse asked. Becky explained to Jesse all about what Sara heard, and Jesse breathed out a sigh.

"Joey had the right idea. I don't think I'll ever understand teenage girls either." Jesse said, feeling frustrated.

"I'm sure this will pass over fairly quickly, but I don't know how I feel about this Gia girl. Stephanie shouldn't even be hanging out with her. Steph has never been one to make fun of other people, whether she's doing it directly or not. She's always stuck up for the people she loves. It's just not like her to go against that." Becky replied, staring at Sara's door, hoping she would be able to get some sleep.

"I guess you're right. Stephanie and Sara have been close since day one." Jesse said, rubbing his eyes. "This will probably all blow over in a couple of days."


	4. Sara's Bad Morning

Sara woke up the next morning feeling groggy and run-down. She had barely slept the night before, her night haunted by several overlapping nightmares about her parents, about Stephanie, and about San Francisco gangs. Her head was pounding, and she had to force herself to get dressed and out her bedroom door. Her anger had been replaced by an overpowering sadness for the betrayal and rejection she had felt by the girl who she had thought was her best friend. _How can a best friend do something so hurtful?_ Sara couldn't understand.

She stifled a yawn as she slowly trudged down the stairs, passing by Stephanie's room, where Michelle was just dragging her pillows and stuffed animals back in. _I guess Deej let Michelle bunk with her after all._ She thought, as she made her way down to the kitchen. As she made her way down to the bottom of the stairs, she could already hear Steph's and Gia's voices talking about school. Sara was tempted to turn and go back upstairs, but she would be late for school if she did. She willed herself to make it downstairs and ignore them as best as she could. _I know Becky wants me to talk about it, but it's just not happening today._ She sighed. _Especially not with Gia around._

Sara quietly made her way to the refrigerator to grab a glass of juice, and found she hadn't even been noticed by the two girls. Sara fought down every angry feeling she had toward Gia and even toward her best friend as she poured herself a glass of milk. Sara drank her milk quietly, keeping her head turned away from the two girls, wrapped up in her own thoughts. After what seemed like an eternity of mindless chatter, silence filled the room for a split second before it was broken again.

"Hey." Stephanie said. Sara turned around and saw Stephanie smiling at her, and Gia secretly rolling her eyes. Sara only looked at Stephanie, and forced herself not to say anything, as she dropped her glass in the sink a little more roughly than she should have. She began to pour herself a bowl of cereal.

"We're gonna be leaving for school in about fifteen minutes, if you want to walk with us." Stephanie said, and Sara witnessed the look of disapproval from Gia. Sara shook her head.

"I'll find my own way to school." She snapped, and took her bowl of cereal into the living room, plopping herself onto the couch with her cereal, feeling disappointed that Stephanie hadn't followed her to resolve whatever issue had arisen. Sara sighed and began eating her cereal when the twins came running down the stairs, laughing together about some unknown twin secret. They stopped short in front of cereal and stared at her bowl

"Sawa has fwoot woops." Nikki said as he eyed Sara's cereal with wide eyes.

"Ooooh." Alex added as he goggled. Sara sighed, and put the cereal bowl down on the coffee table.

"Knock yourselves out." She said, handing Nikki her spoon, who stared at her disbelievingly. "I'm not hungry anyway."

"Not hungry? Squirt, you have to eat." Jesse said. Sara looked up and saw that Jesse was just coming down the stairs into the living room. She managed a small smile, as Nikki and Alex had already dug into her fruit loops, sharing Sara's spoon between them.

"I'll eat at lunch, Jesse. Becky packed me a lunch." Sara looked at the twins. "Besides, I couldn't myself. They gave me 'the look." Jesse smiled and joined Sara on the couch as the twins silently ate Sara's breakfast.

"Still not happy with Steph, huh?" He asked. Sara sighed.

"She just acted as though nothing has even happened." She replied, leaning back roughly. "I mean, I know she doesn't know I heard them last night, but honestly." Jesse smiled sympathetically.

"You didn't tell her what was bothering you, did you?" He asked, knowing Sara all too much. Sara stared at him.

"Of course not! Gia was there! Besides, it's not like Stephanie would listen to me anyway." Sara sighed, and before Jesse could get a word in edgewise, Sara changed the subject. "Can I possibly get a ride to school this morning? I promised Becky I wouldn't walk anywhere alone anymore, and she left early for work this morning; I heard her leave while I was just getting up. There's no way I'm walking with _them._" Sara crossed her arms, staring at the door that separated her and Stephanie. Jesse nodded.

"Sure, I'll bike you in, do you still have your helmet?" Jesse asked. Sara nodded, still sulking. Jesse grew serious.

"Hey." He took Sara's face in his hands. "Don't deal with this alone, okay? Don't keep anything to yourself." He said.

"I know." Sara sighed. "I'm just angry right now, that's all."

"That's all?" Jesse joked. Sara smiled.

"Yeah." She looked down, nodding. "Yeah."

Jesse nodded.

"Okay." He paused. "Think you'll be okay?" He asked. Sara rolled her eyes and shrugged. She could hear more giggles coming from the kitchen, and she stared at Jesse.

"Can we leave early?" Sara asked, standing up, grabbing his hand, and pulling. "Like now?" Jesse had to laugh, but he did oblige.

"Joey, I'm taking Sara to school, can you watch the twins?" Jesse yelled out. After they heard a faint 'sure' coming from the basement, Sara ran up to her bedroom to grab the purple helmet had Jesse bought her a few months earlier. She met Jesse back in the living room and she followed him out front, where he had parked his motorcycle. Sara jumped on the back behind Jesse and held on to him, as he started up the bike. She remembered back to her first time riding with Jesse, and how terrified she had been at the concept of riding on a motorcycle, but now, she barely noticed. Especially today, when all she could think about was how difficult school was going to be, in the same class as Gia and Stephanie. She sighed as Jesse pulled out of the driveway. _What am I going to do?_


	5. Sara's Fight

Sara avoided Gia and Stephanie all day at school. It was easy enough to do, as they seemed to constantly be talking to each other, never allowing any room for anybody else to jump in, even if she had wanted to. But it was at lunch that Stephanie gave Sara an incredulous look when Sara took her lunch to another table, glaring at the two before she began to eat. She also got a look from Stephanie when Becky pulled up in front of the school to pick Sara up. Sara didn't care; if Stephanie could ignore her like she had been for who knows how long, Sara reasoned she could do the same. She watched as Stephanie shrugged, and walked off with Gia, linking arms as they began to walk home. Sara could feel the anger crawling underneath her skin.

"Did you have a good day?" Becky asked, as she turned out of the school's parking lot. Sara shrugged, still staring at Stephanie and Gia out the car window. "They're still bugging you, huh?" Sara nodded. There wasn't much else to say; as far as she was concerned, Stephanie wasn't even interested in making things right. It didn't take a genius to figure out Sara was upset, especially with her not so subtle signals like sitting at a different table. Sara was so angry, but at the same time, upset. It had all happened so quickly. One day, the two friends were out in the backyard, playing basketball, and the next, Gia was around, and Steph was gone.

* * *

Becky unlocked the back door to the house, and was surprised when Sara followed her inside, instead of playing basketball, like she normally did. Becky decided not to say anything; she knew Sara was upset, so she simply kissed Sara's head as Sara lowered herself into a chair at the kitchen table, pulling out her math textbook to start her homework. Becky took her briefcase into the living room to work on the next day's show. Sara sighed, as she began writing out formulas, but she found it was difficult to concentrate, as she thought about Stephanie, and of Gia.

She hadn't been working for long when she heard the door open, and she looked up and saw Stephanie entering the kitchen, but not Gia. Sara was careful not to show her surprise. _That's a first._ She thought bitterly, as she went back to her homework without a word for Stephanie. Yes, she admitted there was a small part of her that wanted to say hey, and ask if she wanted to play some basketball, forgetting all about what had happened, but she couldn't. No matter how hard she wanted to, it could not be done.

"What's the deal with you, anyway?" Stephanie asked, her voice raised slightly. Sara turned around quickly, meeting Stephanie's daring glare. Sara's anger reached its peak, as Stephanie was the one giving _her_ a hard time.

"You have been avoiding me _all_ day! What's up with that?" Stephanie asked, still raising her voice. Sara's anger spilled over; that was it.

"What's the deal with me? What's the deal with _me?_" She asked, raising her voice loudly as she stood up, to face Stephanie. "I don't even understand how you don't even know!"

"Know what? Know that you've been a complete snob today?" Steph screamed out.

"_Me???_ You really have no idea! Honestly, I thought you would be smarter than that!" Sara yelled.

"You're the one who's being dumb! What's up with you ignoring us _all_ day? What exactly are you trying to prove?"

"Don't play dumb! You act as though everything is all fine and dandy, when it's not! You backstabbed me!"

"Backstabbed you! What are you talking about?"

"I _heard_ you and Gia talking about me last night! Sure, maybe you didn't say anything about me, but you were _laughing_ with her! I thought you were my friend! You didn't even stand up for me!" Sara screamed out, face turning red with anger. Stephanie considered her for only a moment, as though pondering what she had done, but brushed it aside.

"What were you doing listening in on our private conversation, anyway?" She yelled.

"What difference does it make? I heard it! You're a backstabber! Just because you're friends with Gia now makes you think you can just let her talk about me like that, and _laugh_ about it, no less!"

"You're just jealous because I have other friends!"

"Jealous!"

"Yeah, jealous! You've been jealous of Gia since we started hanging out! Don't look at me like that, you know it's true! Always tagging along, trying to get my attention, but completely ignoring poor Gia!"

"Poor Gia! Steph, she's the one who's ignoring _me!_ I can't believe you can't even see that! She's hated me since day one! Don't even _try_ to deny that! I wasn't jealous at all! I was trying to be your friend! But the way you've been acting lately..."

"Me? Sara, if you would just make some friends, this wouldn't even be a problem! You're jealous! Simple as that! You just can't stand the fact that I have friends, and you don't!"

"Don't even go there! I have friends!"

"Really! I don't believe you! You only have me, and that girl, Britney! Go ahead, name some others!" Stephanie paused as Sara glared at her with dagger eyes. "That's what I thought! It's no wonder; the way you eavesdrop on other people's conversations..."

"I was walking past! You could hear the two of you from downstairs! What kind of a friend are you?"

"Obviously a better friend than you are! At least I _have_ other friends!"

"Shut up! You don't know anything! You're a backstabber!"

"And you're a loser!"

"Snob!"

"Jerk!"

"I hate you!"

"I hate you more!"

"Woah!" Jesse and Danny came running into the kitchen in the middle of the girls' shouting, each grabbing his daughter, and pulling her back, as they continued to scream at each other.

"Enough, enough, enough!" Danny shouted loudly over the girls, who finally stopped shouting, but the girls continued to glare at each other.

"What's going on?" Jesse asked, still holding Sara's arm, as he looked down at her. Sara, breathing quickly out her nose, didn't answer or look at him. She only continued to stare at Stephanie.

"Is either one of you going to explain what's happening here?" Danny asked, who had a grip on Stephanie.

"Yeah, I'll tell you what's going on. Sara's a nosy busybody, who needs to mind her own business!" Stephanie screamed out, glaring at Sara.

"Shut up, Stephanie! You don't even know what friendship is!" Sara retaliated.

"Stop it!" Danny yelled. "Stephanie, I want you to go to your room, and we'll talk about this."

"Sara, you should go to your room too." Jesse said, as he and Danny let go of their teenage daughters. "But you go up this way."

"And you go up through the living room." Danny said, picking up on Jesse's idea to keep them separated. Stephanie headed for the living room as Sara headed for her room. They both glared at each other once more.

"Loser."

"Jerk."

"Now!" Both Danny and Jesse yelled at the same time, causing their girls to dart out of the kitchen, each in their own direction.

* * *

Sara threw her pillow against the wall, nearly screaming as tears fell down her face. At that moment, she was wishing the pillow was Stephanie's head. She had never felt more angry in her life that she could remember. Not since she first found out what her parents had really done to her.

She barely heard her bedroom door open, allowing entry to Jesse and Becky. Becky approached Sara and took the pillow from her, tossing it aside, and sitting next to her, staring at her with a questioning stare. Sara avoided eye contact. She knew she was in trouble; she knew they had taught her better than that.

"I'm sorry." She choked out, as she wiped her tears away. "But I just couldn't..."

"I know how hurt you are by this whole thing, Sara, but you can't freak out like that. There are better ways to deal with those problems than fighting. You know that." Becky replied calmly. Sara nodded, but continued to cry.

"But she made me so angry! She made me out to be the bad guy! She's the one who's ditched me, and ignored me and made fun of me!" She yelled out. Becky put a hand on Sara's shoulder in an attempt to calm her.

"You two will get through this. You're friends." Becky said. Sara shook her head vigorously.

"No we aren't!"

"You're just saying that right now because you're angry, but pretty soon, you two will be friends again." Jesse tried. Sara shook her head once again.

"I am never talking to Stephanie Tanner again!" She yelled out, before she felt Becky's arms around her. Sara could feel ever fibre of her being trembling with anger.


	6. Sara's Nightmare

Time seemed to go by much slower when there was nobody to hang out with. Sara had spent the last week avoiding Stephanie as much as possible, as difficult as that was, living in the same house. Sara was beginning to grow tired of everybody trying to assure her that over time, the two of them would be able to work out their differences, and become the friends they once were, but the more time that passed, the more Sara's anger amplified. Stephanie was beginning to spend more time with Gia, and the two of them had become more inseparable than ever. Sara felt so much burning anger toward the two of them, but especially toward Stephanie, who she thought was supposed to be one of her best friends.

Sara spent most of the week playing basketball by herself in the backyard, or when Stephanie and Gia were around, up in her room focusing intensely on her homework. Jesse and Becky were beginning to worry; they thought for sure Steph and Sara would have resolved this by now. So they made sure they spent some time with Sara so she wouldn't get lonely or depressed. They knew about Sara's past, and how she had taught herself to internalize everything, which led her to deal with her pain in unhealthy ways. One of Jesse and Becky's first encounters with Sara was a trip to the hospital when Sara had starved herself to the point of passing out. They also discovered Sara had cut herself, which she vowed would never happen again, but still, Jesse and Becky kept a close watch on her, encouraging her to talk about her issues, so as not to internalize them. They didn't want a repeat of what had once happened.

Still, even though Sara did her best to avoid Stephanie like the plague, there had been run-ins, and fights had broken out. The adults had had to intervene a few times already, separating the girls, and talking to them, but no matter how much the adults tried to reason with them, they still vowed their hatred toward one another. The adults were beginning to get frustrated.

"Like I said," Joey had said after another fight between the girls. "I'll never understand teenage girls."

* * *

"Jesse, have you seen my keys?" Becky yelled on Saturday morning, as she searched their attic home for her key chain. Jesse shrugged his response, as he looked around.

"I don't know, where was the last place you put them?" He asked, looking under a couch cushion. Becky smiled when she saw him, and shook her head.

"Not _there._" She smirked, as she finally found them sitting on the table.

"Oh." Jesse said. "_There_ they are." Becky playfully hit him.

"What do you need your keys for? You going out?" Jesse asked.

"Yeah, I have some things I need to pick up at the grocery store, and I told Danny I'd pick something up for dinner." Becky replied, getting her purse together. Jesse nodded.

"Better you than me." He replied. "Where's Sara today?" Becky sighed.

"Outside, playing basketball." She replied.

"Again?"

"Well she finished her homework as soon as she got home from school yesterday. She said she had nothing else to do."

"She's going to get sick of playing."

"Honey, I think she already _is._" Becky paused. "I think I'll get her to come with me. Maybe getting out of the house for a while would be good for her." Jesse shrugged.

"If you call grocery shopping good for you." He joked. Becky threw a pillow at him before blowing him a kiss and leaving the attic.

* * *

Sara laid on the pavement outside, holding the basketball on top of her stomach, staring at the net. She lost count of how many baskets she had made over the last week, but she remembered breaking 1000 a few days ago. She sighed, as she tossed the ball from where she was lying, and showed no sign of excitement when it made it through the hoop. She had already done that more than once. _Too much practice._ She thought to herself, as the ball rolled in the opposite direction. She didn't bother retrieving it.

"Hey Sara." Becky said as she shut the door behind her, walking across the lawn to where Sara laid, staring up at Becky with bored eyes.

"Hey." She said quietly.

"What are you doing?" Becky asked, staring at the forgotten basketball. Sara managed to shrug.

"Wishing I had more homework?" She offered. Becky laughed.

"That bored, huh?" She asked. Sara nodded her agreement.

"Well, come with me. I have to pick up some groceries and stuff." Becky waited patiently as Sara sighed, but got up, stretching as she followed Becky to the red convertible. She reasoned going shopping for groceries was better than lying on the pavement, staring at a basketball she wasn't motivated to grab, because she was sick of playing her favorite sport. _I need new friends._ Sara sighed to herself, as she slammed the door behind her, when she got into the car.

"So, no homework today then?" Becky asked, as she started up the car, and the two left the driveway. Sara sighed.

"No, and I'm so sick of playing basketball, it's sad." She replied, crossing her arms. Becky held in a laugh.

"Isn't there anything else you can do?" She asked. Sara looked at her.

"Like what?" She questioned. Becky shrugged as she concentrated on her driving.

"I don't know, like..." She thought. "Like talk to Stephanie, and work this out?" Becky and Jesse had been trying to push for that all week. They were firm believers in talking about things, and thought that if only they could get Sara and Stephanie in the same room together without wanting to rip each other's heads off, maybe they could work it all out. Sara didn't have the same mind set.

"That's _not_ going to happen. I hope I never talk to her again." She said, staring out the window. Becky sighed. _There she goes again._ Whenever Sara didn't want to talk about something, or began to internalize things, she had a bad habit of avoiding eye contact, or looking the other way.

"Sara, don't shut me out." Becky warned, knowing that was exactly what Sara had been trying to do for the last few days. Becky hated to be blunt, but it was her job as a parent to make sure Sara was healthy, physically and emotionally.

"I'm not, but you're wrong. Talking to Stephanie won't help things at all. She doesn't know _anything_ about being a good friend, and I'm better off without her." Sara said, a little too defensively.

"I don't believe that's true, Sara. You've been so lonely the past week, and don't try to deny that. I know you're getting tired of playing basketball day in and day out, and as much as I love that you're getting all your homework done on time, and doing better on tests and everything, I think that your friendship with Stephanie is worth more than that, sweetie."

"I don't."

"Right now you don't, because you're angry, but Sara, I've never lied to you before, and I wouldn't start now." Becky said, and looked over at Sara, who nodded slowly. Becky smiled to herself. _I know she doesn't believe me now, but she'll look back in a couple of days and say, wow Becky, you were right._ Becky turned into the grocery store parking lot.

* * *

Sara followed Becky around the grocery store, dragging her feet a bit, but was secretly glad she had come. There had been nothing better to do, and spending time with Becky was always one of her favorite pastimes. But even still, shopping could be a dull activity at times. She stifled a yawn.

"Okay, so I've got everything, I think. Danny said he didn't really mind what we had for dinner, so do you think spaghetti will be okay?" Becky asked. Sara shrugged.

"Yeah. We haven't had spaghetti in a few weeks. But, just out of curiosity, whose turn is it to cook?" She asked. Becky thought for a minute.

"I think it's Jesse's, actually." She replied. Sara sighed.

"Maybe I'll help him, then. He doesn't cook the noodles long enough." She said. Becky had to laugh; that had always been her own complaint about her husband's spaghetti.

"That's probably a good idea." Becky replied. "Oh, you know what I forgot to grab was dessert. Can you run and grab a box of brownies, or something?" Sara nodded, and headed down toward the dessert aisle, as Becky made her way toward a checkout. Sara spotted a box of her favorite brownies when she arrived at her destination, and went to pull them off the shelf, when she heard a quiet giggle, followed by the sound of a dozen boxes falling to the ground with a loud thud. Sara turned and saw a small girl, who was about three years old, giggling as she pointed to the stash of boxes on the floor, which her parents were trying to pick up. Sara smiled to herself as she watched the little girl jump up and down with a smile. Sara was about to leave the aisle, with her box of brownies, when she saw the girl's mother get up and turn to confront her daughter. There was something oddly familiar about that woman, Sara thought to herself. That was when the girl's father turned his face away from his family for only a moment, but that moment stopped Sara dead in her tracks. There _was_ something familiar about that couple; Sara could recognize them a mile away.

Her mom and dad.

Sara stood rooted to the ground, frozen by her own disbelief, as she watched the interaction. Her father picked up the three-year-old girl, and gave her a tight squeeze, as she continued to giggle. Sara caught a glimpse of her mother's face, which was hard to recognize at first with a smile spread across it, but it was her, Sara was sure. Sara couldn't breath; there in front of her were the very people who abandoned her when she was only nine years old, never showing her any love, or emotion in those nine years, and were now laughing, and loving a three-year-old girl. Sara felt tears stinging in her eyes, as so many questions flooded through her mind. Her whole world felt suspended in that moment, as she watched her parents and the little girl. Sara didn't even realize she had dropped the brownie box. She snapped out of her suspension when she saw her parents turn toward the source of that noise. Sara did the only thing that made sense; she ran.

As though waiting for that moment, tears began to escape quickly. She couldn't even see straight, but all she wanted was to get out of that grocery store, away from her parents, and away from the watchful eyes of those who had seen her freaking out. Sara had forgotten all about Becky, who was still waiting by the checkout, and caught a glimpse of Sara, dashing for the door.

"Sara!" Becky called out in surprise, but Sara had either not heard her, or was ignoring her.

"Sara!" Becky called out again, now worried. Sara was crying hysterically; what could have possibly happened?

Becky left the grocery cart where it was, and ran after Sara, who was already halfway across the parking lot. Becky had to wait, as cars were driving past, and when she finally made it across the parking lot, she saw Sara sitting on the ground in front of the car, head buried into her arms, sobbing uncontrollably, shaking. Becky fell to the ground in front of her daughter, shaking herself. _What could have caused her to get this upset, this fast?_ She wondered to herself nervously.

"It...can't...be...it...just...can't..." Sara coughed.

"Sara." Becky said quietly, as she smoothed her daughter's hair. "What's wrong?" Sara was crying so hard, she couldn't even talk anymore. She wouldn't even look up, she only groaned into her arms, and cried harder than anything Becky had ever heard. Becky asked again and again, but Sara just continued to cry, which caused passer-by's to stop and stare for a moment. Becky took Sara by the shoulders and held her steady, but Sara still continued to cry.

"Sara, talk to me." Becky tried, but Sara's tears seemed unstoppable. She just kept shaking her head and staring down at the ground.

"Sara, I can't help you if you don't talk to me." Becky felt like she was going to start crying too. She felt so helpless. Sara would not talk, Becky didn't even think she would be able to if she tried, she was crying so much.

Becky realized Sara was much too upset to be sitting in a parking lot. _I have to get her home._ Becky thought to herself, as she took hold of Sara and helped her stand up.

"Come on sweetie, we're going home." Becky said as calmly as possible, as she led her over to the passenger side of the convertible. She eased Sara into the car and ran over to the driver's side, starting up the car as quickly as possible. Becky peered over at Sara every few seconds, who was clutching her arms so tightly, Becky could see fingernail marks embedded in Sara's skin. Sara was still shaking, still crying, and Becky couldn't guess for the life of her what could have possibly upset Sara so much.


	7. Sara's Tears

Becky knew she had broken all the city speed limits as she drove home, but none of that mattered. Sara was still crying hysterically in the passenger seat, and wouldn't say a word. Becky wanted nothing more than to get Sara home, and hopefully calm enough to talk about what could have possibly happened to upset her so.

Becky pulled the convertible into the driveway, and walked around to the other side, opening the door for Sara.

"Sara, let's go inside, okay? It will be okay." Becky tried to comfort, realizing how shallow those words were. How could she promise things would be okay when she didn't even know what the problem was? Even still, she put her arm around Sara, who was still crying, and led her inside.

Danny was sitting at the kitchen table, writing in a notebook, when he looked up to see Becky leading a crying Sara through the kitchen, and to the stairs. Becky gave him a quick nod, to ensure him she had everything under control, as she led Sara up the stairs toward their attic home.

The first thing Becky noticed when they walked into the attic apartment was Jesse sitting at their own table, working on a song, but it was quickly abandoned when he saw the shape his daughter was in. He jumped up.

"Sara, what's wrong?" He asked, but to no avail; Sara still cried, and was still silent. He looked at Becky with concerned eyes.

"Come on Sara, let's go sit on the couch." Becky whispered, as she led Sara over to the couch, and motioned to Jesse to give her a moment. Jesse nodded and waited. Becky lowered Sara on to the couch, who didn't even look up. Becky noticed she was still trembling, and her breathing was becoming heavier. Becky sighed, as she walked around, never taking her eyes off of Sara. She pulled Jesse aside.

"What's going on?" Jesse whispered, staring at Sara. Becky sighed, and shrugged, feeling tears stinging in her eyes.

"I don't know Jess. We were at the grocery store; one minute she was fine, I asked her to get some brownies, and the next, she ran out of the store in hysterics. I tried to get her to talk all the way home, but she can't stop crying. I don't know what could have happened, she was only gone for a couple of minutes." She confessed, feeling so helpless. Jesse nodded, giving his wife a reassuring squeeze, and walked over to where Sara was still sitting, staring at the floor with tears falling from her tired looking eyes. Becky followed her husband, as he knelt down carefully in front of Sara, putting his hands gently on her knees. He stared up into her eyes, as she continued to stare at the floor.

"Sara, it's me Jesse." He said quietly and carefully. "I need you to take a big, deep breath." Sara tightened her eyes shut as she shook her head, beginning to cry again, but Jesse grabbed hold of her shoulders, stopping her.

"Sara, we can't help you unless you _talk_ to us." He said, giving her a bit of a gentle shake, but still, she cried, shaking her head every few moments. Becky lowered herself on the couch, and pulled Sara close, not wanting to let go, but wanting so desperately to know what was wrong.

The family sat for nearly half an hour, Becky holding Sara tight as the sobs finally began to slow down, and Sara's body stopped trembling, ever so slightly. Becky and Jesse barely noticed, and nearly jumped when Sara's timid voice broke the silence.

"I...I can't believe-" She was having a hard time even finishing her sentence, as her breathing became heavy again, and Jesse took hold of her, and turned her to face him.

"Sara, talk to us. We can help you, but you have to tell us what happened." He said quietly. Sara shook her head.

"You can't help me. It's...it's horrible." She stammered. Becky turned her to face her, and managed a small smile.

"Nothing is so horrible we can't get through it together." She said quietly. "What happened?" Sara breathed out slowly, and as her body began to tremble once again, she managed to tell Jesse and Becky exactly what, or rather who she saw in that grocery store. Sara began to cry again, as Jesse and Becky stared at each other, seeing the same shock in each other's eyes that they were feeling. Becky breathed out slowly. _No wonder she's upset._ She thought to herself. To be minding your own business and to suddenly run into the very people who abandoned you when you were only nine years old must have been terrifying. It was no wonder she fled from the store the way she did. It was hard to know what to say.

"Sara, are you sure it was them?" Jesse asked carefully, and Sara could only nod, still crying.

"I'm sure. I would know them anywhere." She shuddered as she remembered what she had seen in the grocery store. "They weren't alone." She couldn't stand to think about it.

"What do you mean they weren't alone?" Becky asked, looking at Jesse who seemed equally confused.

"It wasn't just my mom and dad. They...they had a girl with them. A little girl. I...I think she's their daughter." Sara began to cry again, as uncontrollably as before, and Jesse and Becky wrapped their arms around Sara and held on tight. As Sara continued to cry, Becky couldn't help but feel a tear of her own roll down her cheek.


	8. Sara's Moment

Becky felt a sense of relief when she went to bed that evening. She was surprised they had somehow managed to get Sara calm enough to go to bed. It had been hard; it was bad enough she skipped dinner, saying she wasn't feeling good. Jesse and Becky were worried, but didn't force her to eat, knowing it had been a rough day for Sara. Still, it was a relief when Becky passed by Sara's bedroom door later that night to hear even breathing coming from the half opened door. Becky had stepped in just to be sure, and Sara was fast asleep, even though her face was still tear-streaked, and her clothes still on.

Becky slid under the covers, where Jesse was waiting.

"Did you check on her?" He wanted to know. Becky nodded with a sigh.

"She's asleep." She replied, thankful for that small mercy. Jesse shared her relief.

"Good, she needs it. Man, she's had a rough day." He pointed out.

"Jess, what are they doing back in San Francisco? The last time they were here, they abandoned Sara to fend for herself. Why all of a sudden are they back, and why do they have a little girl with them? Do you think they had another child? After what they did to Sara?" Becky had so many questions racing through her mind, she couldn't control herself.

"I don't know honey. It makes no sense to me, but I know it really shook Sara. I'll never forget the fear in her eyes." He shook his head.

"Jesse, you don't think they came back to request custody, do you?" Becky asked suddenly, feeling her heart beating faster. Jesse was silent for a moment before he answered.

"After what they did to her? Becky, I don't think so, and even if they wanted to, I don't see any court granting them custody after Sara's history with them. She's already told us they were abusive to her in more than one way." He replied.

"But they have another daughter now. What if they claim they've changed?" Becky asked, feeling Jesse's hand slide into hers.

"Why don't we give Ms. Morrison a call tomorrow morning, and set up an appointment? Who knows? She might know something about it, and then maybe we can set our minds at peace." Jesse said. "And Sara's too."

"Honey, I don't think Sara will ever be at peace with this. It's hard enough to deal with the fact your parents didn't love you enough to take care of you, and left you alone when you're nine years old, but for them to show up again, and for her to see them almost five years later in a grocery store. I don't know, Jess. I can't imagine the pain she must be dealing with." Becky laid her head back against the pillow, and tossed and turned for quite some time before sleep finally came.

* * *

Sara woke the next morning feeling groggy and disoriented. She had had nightmares all night, vivid nightmares of the scene at the grocery store replaying itself over and over again, with different outcomes each time. In one of them, Sara had turned to see her parents in the grocery store just as she really had, except in her nightmare, her mother had seen her, and Sara had approached them, with a smile on her face, and she watched as her parents turned their backs, picking up their little girl, and running in the opposite direction, with Sara yelling after them. 

"Please come back! Please tell me what I did wrong!" She had screamed, but to no avail. It had seemed the faster she ran after them, the further they drifted, until her throat became hoarse from screaming.

Sara shuddered as she still remembered the nightmares clearly in her mind. The whole scene at the grocery store itself had been a nightmare; a living nightmare. It still didn't seem real; this couldn't be happening to her, but she couldn't deny what she had seen. She would know them anywhere, anytime.

Sara changed her old clothes into a new set, and grabbed her backpack, making sure she had all her homework packed neatly inside. She walked downstairs, slowly, yawning, and feeling as though she didn't have a single tear left in her body. She had cried so much yesterday; it was no wonder she had managed to drift to sleep so quickly the night before. All those emotions were exhausting.

Sara eased herself into a chair in the dining room, waiting for somebody to come downstairs to drive her to school. Either Jesse and Becky had been driving her to school all week, ever since her fight with Stephanie, and Sara still respected Becky's request for Sara not to go anywhere alone. Sara hoped Steph had already left with Gia, or would at least not come downstairs until Sara was gone. Sara knew she would not be able to control her anger if Stephanie tried to start anything. Sara's emotions were all over the place; she was grateful when Becky was the first person to come down that morning, followed by Jesse and the twins.

"Sara, you're already up." Becky pointed out, seemingly surprised.

"We thought you'd still be sleeping." Jesse added. Sara shrugged.

"Nightmares woke me up." She said casually, as she stared at the wooden table.

"Again? Oh Sara." Becky said sympathetically. "Listen Sara, Jesse and I were talking this morning. If you want to stay home from school today, we're okay with that."

"You had a really rough day yesterday, squirt, and we understand if you need a day to kind of think things over." Jesse added. Sara shook her head.

"Thanks, but I think I'll go to school. I really don't want to sit around all day and think about...them." Sara's eyes glistened for only a moment, but she swallowed down that lump of emotion threatening to escape.

"Are you sure Sara?" Becky asked, and Sara only nodded, picking up her backpack.

"Can we leave now?" Sara asked, wanting to avoid seeing anybody else, especially Stephanie, in case she was still home. Becky nodded.

"Okay, let me just grab my keys. I'll meet you outside." She said, as Sara nodded, and said a quick goodbye to Jesse and the twins, heading outside. Once she had shut the door, Jesse turned to Becky, who had her keys, and was ready to go.

"I'll call Ms. Morrison right away and see if we can stop by to see her today." He said. Becky nodded.

"Okay, thank you." Becky leaned in and gave him a kiss. "I'll be back soon."

* * *

Jesse sat at the dining room table, tapping it impatiently as he waited for Becky to get home. He had just gotten off the phone with Ms. Morrison and wanted to tell Becky about their conversation. It wasn't long before he heard the convertible pulling up the driveway; he couldn't help but jump up. This whole thing had gotten him nervous as well. Becky opened the door and saw Jesse had been waiting for her. 

"You called?" She asked. Jesse nodded, and sat back down at the table, as Becky joined him. "What did you find out?"

"Well, I told her what Sara saw yesterday, and she said we could stop by this afternoon around 4:00p.m. She was pretty busy when I called, but she said she would look into some stuff before we showed up. She could have met us earlier, but she thought this way it would give Sara and Britney a chance to catch up." Jesse replied. Becky nodded.

"Okay, well, it sounds like a plan. I guess we'll pick up Sara from school and go straight down to Jacobson's." She said. Jesse nodded, and cupped his hand over hers.

"Everything will be okay, honey. They're not going to try to take Sara away from us." He said.

"How do you know that?" Becky asked.

"Think about it. How could a parent abandon their kid, and then wake up one morning, and think, oh wow, I really messed up, maybe now I'm a better parent?"

"It's happened before."

"Baby, come on. This would never hold up in court anyway." Jesse pointed out. Becky knew he was right. No judge would allow them custody after their track record. But still, she couldn't help but feel worried.

* * *

Sara waited on the front step of the school for the red convertible to pull up. She couldn't help but look around nervously at all the people walking by. What if her parents were here too? Would she ever be able to go anywhere without the shadow of her past following her? She sighed, what did they want, anyway? What were they doing back in San Francisco? Sara had so many questions and no answers. She was grateful when she saw Becky and Jesse pulling into the school. 

"Hi Sara." Jesse greeted when Sara hopped into the backseat, dropping her backpack beside her.

"Hi." She paused. "Why are you both here?" Normally only one of them came to pick her up after school, usually Becky.

"Well, we have to make a little stop before we go home." Becky said.

"Where?" Sara wanted to know.

"We have a meeting with Ms. Morrison so we can find out more about your parents." Jesse paused, waiting for Sara to react. "Maybe she knows why they're back in San Francisco." Sara sighed, and leaned back against her seat.

"Are you okay?" Becky asked, turning to face Sara. Sara shrugged.

"Do you mind if I just go see Britney while you talk to Ms. Morrison? I...I haven't seen her in a long time, and it would be nice to have a friend right now." She said, looking out the window. Becky felt her pain. Not only was she dealing with this tremendous shock, but her and Stephanie were fighting. True, Sara had Becky and Jesse, but she had no friends to support her. She understood perfectly why she wanted to see Britney.

"Of course, Sara. We'll let you know what happens with Ms. Morrison." Becky replied. Sara managed a small smile, as they turned onto the highway toward Jacobson's.

* * *

Becky leaned down and gave Sara a hug as she and Jesse ducked into Ms. Morrison's office. Sara promised she would come back to say hello to Ms. Morrison before they left, but right now, all she wanted to do was see Britney. 

Sara walked down the familiar halls of the place that had once been her home, not that long ago. She peered into her old classrooms, into the familiar dining room, until she finally made her way up the winding staircase to the girl's dormitory. She walked in, half expecting to see Britney already started on her homework. Britney had always been the one to suggest they get an early start on their homework, so they could spend more time having fun, instead of worrying about everything they needed to get done. To Sara's surprise, Britney was not in the dormitory. A few girls were, some of whom Sara had known while she was here, and she said a quick hello, but didn't stay long. She wanted to find Britney.

Sara went down the stairs and opened the french doors that led to the courtyard. She smiled as she saw Britney sitting under a tree, reading from a textbook. She stifled a yawn as Sara approached her. Britney looked up as she noticed a shadow hovering over her. Her face lit up immediately as she stood.

"Sara, oh my gosh!" She wrapped her arms around her best friend and squeezed tight, as Sara returned the squeeze, feeling as though the tears she thought were all gone would escape. As she hugged her best friend, she felt as though she just wanted to stay here, in this courtyard forever, never having to deal with the truth that her parents were back in San Francisco.

"Britney, it's so good to see you, you have no idea!" Sara said, as she and Britney knelt down on the grass, all smiles.

"Same here! What's been going on with you? I haven't heard from you in ages." Britney said, and realized something was wrong when Sara looked away, tears in her eyes. Before she knew it, Sara told Britney everything. About Steph and Gia, about the fight they had, about what she had seen in the grocery store. She cried only a little; nothing compared to yesterday, but still, Sara felt relieved to have told her best friend.

"Sara, I can't believe this. Why do you think they're back?" Britney asked. Sara could only shrug.

"I have no idea." She replied honestly, hugging her knees, when she noticed Britney's eyes widening.

"What?" Sara asked worriedly. She knew that look. Britney had just thought of something.

"You don't think...I mean, you don't think they came back for custody, do you?" Britney asked in a low whisper. Sara felt her heart skip a beat. She had never thought about that possibility. They couldn't, could they? After what they had done? Why would they want her? After all that?

"You're not being serious, are you?" Sara asked in disbelief. Britney shrugged.

"Sara, I seriously hope that's not why they're back, but...it happens all the time. You know that." Britney was right. Sara had seen many girls at Jacobson go through similar situations when they're biological parents have come back, demanding custody. Some judges granted it, others didn't. It often depended on each situation. Sara leaned up against the tree, exhaling slowly. What was Ms. Morrison telling Jesse and Becky?

* * *

"How's Sara handling it?" Ms. Morrison asked after she brought out some coffee for Jesse and Becky. 

"Not so great. She was a disaster yesterday. She was having a complete anxiety attack, I could barely get her to breathe, let alone talk." Becky said, shuddering at the memory of her daughter in that much pain. Ms. Morrison sighed, shaking her head. Sara had been her responsibility for a long time before Jesse and Becky adopted her, and had always cared about Sara as though she were her own. Like Jesse and Becky, Ms. Morrison had always felt an inward anger toward Sara's parents. They were the ones solely responsible for Sara's initial mistrust of adults, of families, and of love in general. It had taken a long time for Sara to crawl out of that. How dare they show up again?

"I spent most of the afternoon doing some research. Our last record of Troy and Allison Stephenson says they moved to Florida and had a baby." Ms. Morrison sighed. "I did some snooping around today and I found out they did move back to San Francisco. They bought a house up on Fourth Avenue just a few months ago. That little girl Sara saw with them was their daughter, I'm sure. They had another little girl not long after they left Sara. She's three now, and her name is Lisa." Ms. Morrison sat down in her chair and sighed, never looking up.

"I confess I already knew about Lisa. When Sara came here from the last group home she was in, they gave me her file. I guess when social services finally found out what had become of the Stephensons, they found out about Lisa being born. I...I didn't have the heart to tell Sara she had a baby sister. I didn't want to hurt her. She had already been through so much. I thought I had made the right decision, at the time." She confessed. Becky smiled sympathetically.

"You did. It would have destroyed her if she knew. Look at what it's doing to her now, after all these years. What would it have done to her when the wounds were still that fresh?" She asked. Ms. Morrison nodded, as though thinking.

"When you were doing your research, did you find anything out about them wanting custody?" Becky asked, changing the subject rather abruptly. Ms. Morrison sighed.

"I don't know for sure, but to be honest, it definitely doesn't appear that's why they're back. They bought a house; they're definitely not here just visiting. Plus I called, and social services haven't been called about any potential custody demands and no hearings have been set up. I would have been the first to know, being her social worker. It looks like they simply...moved back to San Francisco." She said, hating it every bit as much as the Katsoppolus' were. Jesse sighed, leaning back in his chair.

"I honestly can't understand how, after what they did to Sara, could even remotely be considered as fit parents." He said, a hint of anger in his voice. Ms. Morrison knew where he was going with this.

"Social services knows their history, and they are keeping an eye on them with Lisa, but apparently there's been nothing suspicious going on, and it's been a few months now. As far as social services is concerned, they appear to be good parents." She shook her head at the ridiculousness of it all.

"They aren't good parents! How can they not see that? How could any parent just walk out on their kid like that?" Jesse asked in a yell. Becky took his hand in her own to calm him down. She felt the same anger, and she knew Ms. Morrison was just as mad.

"I don't know, Jesse, but I will keep you both informed. I've been trying to contact Sara's parents all day, but there hasn't been any answer yet. As soon as I hear from them, I'll let you know what's going on." Ms. Morrison smiled. "Now, I'll bet Sara is out in the courtyard with Britney, and I would love to see her. It's been too long." Ms. Morrison led the way, as Jesse and Becky followed, holding hands. Everything would be okay; it had to be.


	9. Sara's Ride Home

"Hi sweetie." Becky greeted as she watched Sara and Britney turn their heads to see Becky, Jesse and Ms. Morrison approaching the girls in the courtyard. Sara managed a small smile, as Britney said a polite hello. Ms. Morrison gave Sara a smile, and Sara stood to be enveloped in Ms. Morrison's arms, as she gave her a big hug.

"Sara, it's so good to see you, it's been a long time." She said, as she squeezed. She pulled Sara away, and held her at arms length, staring into her face. "I'm sorry about what happened." Sara only shrugged, pretending as though it didn't bother her. She was just glad to see Ms. Morrison again; and Britney. Ms. Morrison was right; it had been a long time.

"Remember what I told you when I dropped you off at Jesse's and Becky's for the first time. Even though you don't live here anymore, I'm still here for you. If you need anything, you know my number." Ms. Morrison gave her a wink, and another hug, as Sara felt like all she wanted to do was cry.

"Well Britney, we should go. They're probably putting dinner out now, and we don't want to miss that." Ms. Morrison said. Britney nodded, and turned to Sara, giving her the biggest hug she could manage.

"Please let me know what happens." She said quietly. "Don't be afraid to pick up the phone once in a while." Sara smiled.

"Sorry." She apologized. "I'll come visit soon, I promise." Britney nodded.

"You better." She couldn't help but give her best friend another hug. "Bye Sara." "Bye Brit." Sara managed a small smile, as she turned and left the place that had once been her home, and followed Jesse and Becky out the convertible.

"How was your visit with Britney?" Jesse asked, as the three of them got into the car.

"It was good. I really missed her." Sara managed a small smile. "She's really excited, though. She has an interview coming up with a couple who are looking to adopt."

"That's great, Sara! I'm sure she's counting down the days." Becky pointed out. Sara nodded. Britney had dreamed of having a family since she was just a child, and even during the short time Sara was at Jacobson's with Britney, that dream was obvious. Britney was a firm believer in families, and had desperately tried to convince Sara that not all families were bad, when she was still at Jacobson's. Sara hoped it all worked out for Britney.

"What happened with Ms. Morrison?" Sara finally asked the question she had been scared to ask since they left Jacobson's, but she wanted to know, _needed_ to know whatever she could. She could see Jesse and Becky exchange glances, before Becky exhaled slowly.

"Ms. Morrison did some research this afternoon, and she found out your mom and dad bought a house here in San Francisco." Becky could literally hear Sara's breathing stop as she listened to what Becky had to say.

"Where?" Sara wanted to know. Becky and Jesse exchanged glances.

"We don't know, squirt. All we know is it's somewhere in San Francisco." Jesse replied.

"Do they want me back? I mean, are they demanding custody?" Sara asked, shocking Jesse and Becky.They didn't know Sara was fearing the same thing they were fearing. Becky sighed.

"We don't know yet, Sara. Ms. Morrison doesn't think so, but she's going to do some more research to make sure." She replied. Sara leaned back against her seat and let out a long sigh, tears glistening in her eyes that Becky could see through her rearview mirror.

"I don't ever want to be hurt again." She muttered quietly, thinking nobody had heard her, but Jesse had. He pulled the car over to the side of the road, stopping the car, and turning in his seat to face his daughter.

"Sara, I would _die_ before I let that happen to you again." He said, a touch of anger shaded his voice. "What they did to you was wrong, and over my dead body will I let them take you back to do it all over again." Sara stared at him, not knowing what to say.

"Sara, we're a family, and both Jesse and myself will fight for you if this ever goes to court. But honestly, Sara, there is a high unlikelihood they would even be granted custody if they tried. After what you went through, social services has everything on file, not to mention your own experiences." Becky said. Sara shuddered. Her own experiences were ones she would never forget. It seemed so jumbled to her now, years later, but she could still remember how her parents never told her they loved her, how she would get into trouble for things most kids didn't get into trouble for, how her parents would hit her if she was bad, how her mother's depression placed a shadow over their household, how Sara had gotten into trouble when she walked in on her mother cutting her wrists with a razor blade, how the only time her father ever touched her was in the darkness of her bedroom when her mother wasn't home, moments Sara wished she didn't remember, but did, nonetheless. Sara felt sick to her stomach as she remembered everything. Becky broke the silence.

"Sara, I know everything's been rough lately." She said. "Do you think you'd like to see Dr. Harner again? Maybe just for somebody to talk to?" Dr. Harner was the psychologist Sara had seen after she was adopted by Jesse and Becky. She was a really great psychologist, and had helped Sara a lot, once she had finally opened up about things. Sara hadn't seen Dr. Harner in months; she was already making terrific progress.

Sara shook her head.

"No thanks. I just want to be around my family. My _real_ family." Sara said, referring to Jesse and Becky and everybody else. She managed a small smile at Jesse and Becky, who knew what she meant. Jesse started up the car, and headed home. Sara was silent for the whole drive, praying Ms. Morrison was right. That her mom and dad didn't want custody; but if they weren't back for custody, why had they come back? _I bet they came back just to torture me._ She thought bitterly as Jesse pulled into their driveway. _I hope I never see them again._


	10. Sara's Late Night

"Let me go!" Sara cried, as the strong arms that were wrapped around her body dragged her down a familiar hallway. To no avail could she escape, no matter how hard she struggled. She could hear a young child screaming distantly, but the arms were dragging her away from the cries.

"Let go!" She cried again, but it only earned her a hard slap in the face as she was taken into a dark bedroom. The rough arms picked her up, hurling her on the bed with violent force, as Sara turned her head to see who her perpetrator was. It was her father, the same way she remembered him.

"Dad?" She tried to say, but he only stared at her for a moment, until he turned his head to the corner of the room, where a woman was sitting at a desk. Sara had to squint; it was still so dark, but she saw her mother.

"Mom?" The woman turned, the familiar eyes staring right at Sara and then down. Sara followed her gaze and covered her mouth when she saw the fresh scars on her mother's wrist from the razor blade she was holding in her other hand. Her mother was crying, but her eyes burned with anger as she stared back at Sara daringly.

"Don't look at me like that. You're just like I am, you little brat!" She stood up quickly and stalked over to the bed, as Sara tried to back up, but found a wall behind her. Her mother's angry eyes were all too familiar to Sara.

"You're going to turn out just like me!" Her mom grabbed hold of Sara's arm, and dragged the razor blade against Sara's wrist, causing Sara to cry out. "You can't control it!" Sara pulled away briskly, with tears running down her face, as her mother let go of her arm. She backed up and sat back down at her desk, continuing on her own wrist. Sara almost forgot about her father, who crawled onto the bed slowly, inching his way closer to Sara. Sara tried to move, but he grabbed hold of her, dragging her closer. She tried to scream, but nothing came out as he pushed her down, and climbed on top of her, pinning her arms up above her head with one hand. His other hand went straight for her belt buckle.

"Hello baby girl." He unfastened her belt, one-handed. "It's been a long time."

* * *

Sara sat upright with a small scream, as her eyes adjusted to see she was in her bedroom at home, with Jesse and Becky in the next room. She sighed, as the tears streamed down her face. It was only a dream; a nightmare. Still, it had felt so real; she even found herself gazing at her wrist to be sure.

Sara forced down her tears, burying her face into her pillow to keep herself from being heard. She felt as though she were going to be sick, and the last thing she wanted to do was to go back to sleep. _I can't get away from them, even when I'm asleep._ She thought bitterly to herself as she sat up in her bed. She sniffled, as she wiped her tears away on her arm. She could feel every part of her body shaking, trembling. The dream had felt so real; they _looked_ so real, so familiar.

She jumped out of bed, sliding on her bunny slippers as she tiptoed to her door, opening it a crack to peer out to see Jesse and Becky sound asleep in bed. She slid out of her bedroom, and tiptoed past Jesse and Becky, to the twin's bedroom. She opened the door a crack, and peeked inside to see both her brothers sleeping. She sighed. _At least I didn't wake anybody up._ She thought to herself as she quietly left the attic, and down the stairs to the kitchen. She stifled a yawn as she opened the refrigerator and poured herself a glass of milk. Sara sat down at the counter, still crying to herself as she sipped her milk. She couldn't help all the things that raced through her mind; when was she going to find out what her parents wanted, why did they come back in the first place? Why did she have to have parents like that to begin with? It just wasn't fair; _none_ of it was fair!

Sara barely heard the footsteps descending down the staircase, but sighed to herself when she did. _I woke someone up._ She thought guiltily, as she turned to see who it was. Her stomach did a flip when she saw Stephanie coming down the stairs, rubbing her eyes. Sara turned her back and dried her tears quickly. Stephanie paused when she approached the refrigerator, looking at Sara for only a moment.

"Oh, I didn't know you were down here." Stephanie said quietly as she poured herself some juice. Sara didn't say a word; the last thing she wanted to do was get into another fight. She only stared at the counter, tracing an imaginary pattern. She didn't look up but noticed Stephanie wasn't leaving, she was still standing there. Sara sighed, and nearly jumped when Stephanie broke the silence.

"My dad told me what happened." She said quietly. Sara still didn't look up.

"Yeah." Was all she could say. She wasn't surprised; everybody had been so supportive with Sara when they found out who she had seen in the grocery store that day, it was bound to get to Stephanie sooner or later, even if they weren't talking. It wasn't like this family couldn't keep a secret; they could, but nobody had ever said it was a secret. Sara wanted all the support she could get, but not from Stephanie. At least, she didn't think she did, but as Stephanie stood there, and Sara sat there, Sara couldn't feel angry toward Stephanie, no matter how hard she tried. It was almost as though Stephanie had read her thoughts.

"It's killing me we're not talking." She said as she placed her cup in the sink. Sara finally looked up and saw Stephanie staring into the sink. Sara paused, and felt a lump forming in her throat.

"Me too." She finally managed to say. Stephanie looked up and smiled a little, only a little.

"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." She said. Sara sighed, remembering what Becky and Jesse had kept telling her about talking to Stephanie. To just be honest and tell her what she was feeling.

"But you did, Steph. It really hurt me when Gia said what she did, but what hurt more was that you didn't stand up for me. It just felt...it just felt like I was losing one of my best friends." Sara replied, pulling at a piece of hair falling down in front of her face. Stephanie was quiet for a moment, and Sara couldn't decide whether she was going to start yelling at her again, and start another fight, or stay calm and talk about this.

"I'm sorry Sara. I guess I didn't really realize what I was doing. At first, I was really mad at you for listening to our conversation, but...I guess I shouldn't have been talking about you like that in the first place, whether you were listening or not. I'm really sorry Sara." Stephanie said, with a casual shrug. Sara couldn't take the fighting anymore, especially not now. She really needed Stephanie back in her life, and before she knew it, the two girls were hugging over the counter. Sara felt a wave of relief hit her, and momentarily, everything that had been going on with her parents didn't matter. She had Stephanie back.

"I promise I'll stop hanging out with Gia so much." Stephanie said. Sara sighed.

"Steph, I don't care if you hang out with Gia. It's not like I'm jealous of you having other friends, but just don't forget that I'm your friend too." She smiled a little. "And don't forget that Gia _hates_ me, so the three of us shouldn't hang out together." Stephanie grinned.

"Yeah, I'll have to talk to her about that. I don't really understand what her problem is." She replied. Sara shrugged, and the two sat in silence for a moment before Stephanie piped up again.

"What's going to happen with your mom and dad?" She asked on a more serious note. Sara sighed, and felt that familiar pain coming back inside, but knowing that Stephanie was there with her made it a little easier to deal with. Stephanie listened as Sara told her everything that had been happening over the last couple of days, and Sara found herself feeling better just talking about it. As they talked into the night, Sara felt the relief of at least one burden lifted off her shoulders; her and Stephanie were friends again.


	11. Sara's Fate

**CHAPTER ELEVEN:** **Sara's Fate**

"Do you think we'll hear anything from Ms. Morrison today?" Becky asked as she made the bed the next morning. She had a clear view of Jesse, who was in the bathroom, examining his hair in the mirror. The twins were settled on the floor, playing with their tonka trucks contently. Becky could hear Jesse sigh.

"I hope so. I think not knowing why they came back is killing Sara." Jesse replied. "It's killing me too."

"Me too. I just hope Ms. Morrison was able to get a hold of Sara's parents yesterday." Becky sighed, as she arranged the pillows. Jesse came out of the bathroom after he ran a comb through his black hair, and he wrapped his arms around his wife from behind.

"I'm sure she will call us the second she knows anything." He kissed her cheek. "Shall we go have breakfast?" Becky smiled, as she turned to give her husband a kiss in return.

"Sure. I guess Sara already went down for breakfast. I went to wake her up this morning and she was already out of bed. Do you want to drive her to school this morning or should I?" She asked. Jesse shrugged.

"I'll do it. I think she likes the bike." He took Becky's hands and called for the twins to come down for breakfast. Nikki and Alex trailed behind their parents, giggling.

Once they were in the living room, Nikki and Alex ran ahead of Jesse and Becky to play with their race cars, as Jesse and Becky stopped in their tracks on their way to the kitchen, shocked at the sight they saw in front of them. On the couch, one head on each side, laid Stephanie and Sara, sound asleep. Becky stared at Jesse, and his response was only a shrug and a shake of the head.

"What-" Becky couldn't even figure out what to say. Danny walked into the living room through the kitchen after he heard they were downstairs. He looked at the two girls, and then shrugged at Jesse and Becky with a sigh.

"I found them like this when I came down this morning." He appeared just as confused as Becky and Jesse felt.

"What did they do? Beat each other with a stick until they were both unconscious?" Jesse asked.

"Don't be crazy." Danny replied. "You would have seen bruises if that was the case."

"Something _must_ have happened. They've been avoiding each other like the plague all week. Why all of a sudden are they asleep on the same couch?" Becky asked. Before anyone could offer up their guesses, Stephanie stirred and sat up, stretching her arms in a yawn.

"Uncomfortable couch. Hard as a rock." She murmured as she squinted her eyes to see Jesse, Beck and Danny standing there with inquiring eyes.

"Oh, good morning." She greeted, as she shook Sara gently. _Gently._ What was going on?

Sara woke up and groaned.

"Morning Steph." She said in a groggy voice, and noticed Danny, Becky and Jesse standing over the two.

"Would somebody please tell us what's going on?" Danny asked, speaking on behalf of the parents. Sara and Stephanie exchanged glances.

"I guess we fell asleep while we were talking last night." Stephanie said with a bit of a giggle.

"Yeah, we _were_ up pretty late, I guess." Sara replied with a smile. Jesse, Becky and Danny exchanged glances, feeling utterly clueless.

"I'm getting hungry." Sara pointed out, not noticing the confusion written across their parents' faces.

"Me too, let's go make some toast." Stephanie offered. Sara nodded and the two hopped off the couch, walking into the kitchen, talking. Becky let out a long sigh and Danny scratched his head.

"Teenagers." Jesse said as he rolled his eyes.

"Should I tell Sara 'I told you so?' Or should I just let it pass?" Becky asked with a grin. Jesse smiled.

"I think if you said that, she'd deny you ever said anything to begin with." He pointed out. Danny sighed.

"Well, the good news is they seem to be friends again. However it came to be doesn't really matter, I guess. At least they're not trying to claw each other's eyes out anymore. Though it's beyond me how it happened." He said, still scratching his head. Becky shrugged.

"You're right Danny, at least they're friends again." She said.

"Good." Jesse said. "I wasn't sure how much more of that insanity I could have taken."

* * *

"I think they're a little confused." Sara pointed out, as she and Stephanie ate their toast together at the kitchen table. Stephanie laughed.

"Yeah, I think so too. I'll never forget the looks on their faces." She snickered. Sara smiled as they heard the phone ring. Stephanie jumped up and answered it, still swallowing a mouthful of toast.

"Hello?...Oh hi Gia." Stephanie glanced over at Sara, who was staring at her toast quietly. "Do I want to walk with you this morning?...Well, actually Gia, I was going to walk to school with Sara this morning...Stop it Gia, Sara's my friend...yeah, okay...I'll see you at school...bye." Stephanie hung up the phone and joined Sara at the table again. Sara smiled.

"Thanks Steph." She said quietly, as Becky entered the kitchen, with a bit of a smile on her face. Sara had a feeling she knew exactly what Becky was thinking. _She wants to say "I told you so" I bet. _Sara sighed, as Becky grabbed her keys, and leaned over to kiss Sara on the top of her head.

"I'm going to work, okay? Jesse said he'd give you a ride to school this morning." She said.

"Oh thanks, but Stephanie and I are actually walking to school this morning." Sara replied with a bit of a smile. Becky stared at the two for a moment, as though she didn't believe what she was hearing, but she smiled back.

"Good, I'm glad. Well listen, have a good day. Oh and Sara, Ms. Morrison is supposed to call us today to let us know what's happening. Try to stay strong and don't worry about it, okay sweetie? Everything will be okay." Becky said seriously. Sara could only nod.

"Okay, well, I'll see you later after school. Call if you need a ride home." Becky said seriously.

"Thanks, but I think I'll be okay." Sara replied. Becky nodded and smiled at Sara proudly.

"I know you will be." She tapped Sara on the nose and left the house with a smile. Sara sighed, as she cleared hers and Stephanie's plates from the table. If even for a moment, Sara was able to forget all about the phone call that Jesse would receive while she was at school. Stephanie was her friend again; everything seemed like it was going to be okay.

* * *

Half an hour later, the girls were getting ready to leave for school.

"Bye dad." Stephanie called as she grabbed her backpack. Sara couldn't help but feel glad Gia would not be joining them. _No more third wheel._ She thought happily.

"Bye Jesse." Sara yelled as she followed Stephanie out the door.

Jesse and Danny opened the kitchen door in just enough time to see the girls leave. There was nothing to say; they only stared at each other and shrugged.

* * *

It was 3:00p.m. when Becky arrived home from work and she found Jesse sitting at the dining room table with the cordless phone beside him, as he tapped his fingers on the table nervously. Becky dropped her keys and sat down beside him as she put her hand over his.

"She hasn't called yet, has she?" Becky asked. Jesse looked up and raised his eyebrows, as though noticing she was there for the first time.

"Who?" He asked. Becky stared at him.

"You know who." She replied. Jesse sighed.

"No, Ms. Morrison hasn't called yet. I really wanted her to call before Sara got home from school, just so I can figure out what we're going to do if they do want custody." Jesse said.

"Is Sara home?" Becky asked. Jesse shook his head.

"No. Usually when she walks home with Steph, they don't get home until at least 3:30p.m." He replied. Becky nodded, and they both jumped when the telephone rang.

Jesse grabbed it and answered it.

"Jesse, it's me, Ms. Morrison. Sorry I'm so late getting back to you. I've been trying to get a hold of Sara's parents all day." Ms. Morrison apologized when Jesse answered the phone.

"Did you get a hold of them?" Jesse asked nervously as he gripped Becky's hand tightly.

"Yes, I did, just a few moments ago." Ms. Morrison replied.

"What did they say? About...custody?" Jesse asked. He felt his stomach drop when he heard Ms. Morrison sigh.

"You don't have anything to worry about Jesse. They don't want custody. They just wanted to move back to San Francisco." Ms. Morrison replied. Jesse sighed out loud and hugged Becky, who knew immediately that everything was okay. Her body trembled as she let out a sigh of relief.

"That's great news, Ms. Morrison. Thank you." Jesse said as he swallowed hard.

"Yes, it is a relief." Ms. Morrison sighed. "Jesse, there is something else." Jesse was sure he felt his heart stop.

"What?" He clenched his teeth.

"I have Sara's parents' address and phone number to give you. I wasn't sure whether or not Sara would want to see them." Ms. Morrison replied.

"Why the hell would we let Sara anywhere near them?" Jesse asked, feeling his anger rising.

"Jesse, I know you're being protective of Sara, and I understand why you would be, but keep in mind this may be something she needs to do. I've had a lot of kids in similar situations and most of them have had to see their parents again, for closure. Remember, Jesse, they walked out on her. She may feel the need to confront them and ask them why." Ms. Morrison tried to explain.

"Did they ask to see her?" Jesse asked.

"No. I mentioned it in passing, but even bringing up Sara's name...well...they didn't seem very happy." Ms. Morrison replied.

"And you want me to bring Sara to see them?" Jesse asked in surprise, feeling his voice rising ever so slightly.

"Jesse, if I could pick and choose, I would want Sara to stay away from them too, but this may be something she needs to do." Ms. Morrison replied.

"Well I'm sure Sara won't want to see them and I _definitely_ do not want her anywhere near them. They have hurt her enough!" Jesse snapped and he barely felt Becky's hand slip into his.

"Listen Jesse, I know you want what's best for Sara; we all do. I do think you and Becky should talk to Sara about this, though. Sara may need to see them, for her own reasons. And you need to respect that." Ms. Morrison explained. Jesse sighed and finally stood up. Becky watched after him, unsure of what was being said, only knowing it was causing Jesse a lot of pain. He grabbed a notebook from the counter, and poised his pen.

"Alright Ms. Morrison." He said. "What's the address and phone number?"

* * *

"Becky, we can't let her see them." Jesse said after he hung up with Ms. Morrison and explained everything to his wife.

"Jesse, I don't want Sara to see them either. They're unfit and I want nothing more than to protect our girl from them forever, but Ms. Morrison may be right. What if Sara does need to, for some reason? Can we really deny her that?" Becky asked.

"Of course we can. We're here parents now, we do what's best for our children." Jesse replied.

"But Jesse, we really should talk to her. We've always been open and honest and I don't think we should keep this from her." Becky sighed. "I really hope she decides she doesn't want to, but I think it should be her decision."

"I think we should definitely try and convince her that it's a bad idea. I don't want her emotions to make this decision for her. She needs to think about the outcomes." Jesse replied, feeling frustrated.

"Well, maybe we should all just sit down and talk about it as a family. We should definitely talk about the consequences and outcomes, and make sure we understand completely why she does or doesn't want to see them." Becky added.

"Alright, I'll put the address upstairs for now. Why don't we talk to her after dinner? She'll want to know what Ms. Morrison had to say anyway." Jesse replied. Becky sighed, noticing Jesse's frustration and worry, picking up on it as she was feeling it just as strongly. She wrapped her arms around him, as he did the same.

"She'll be okay. Whatever she decides, we'll get through it." She replied. "We always do."


	12. Sara's Decision

**CHAPTER TWELVE:** **Sara's Decision**

When Sara and Stephanie arrived home from school that afternoon, Sara graciously accepted Steph's invitation to play some basketball in the backyard until dinner. Sara was so thrilled to have her best friend back in her life, she found she forgot completely about Ms. Morrison's phone call.

"I can't believe Mrs. Grayson pulled that pop quiz on us today." Stephanie groaned as she missed her shot and tossed the ball to Sara. Sara shrugged.

"Did you find it hard? I thought it was okay," She sighed, and blushed a little. "But to be honest, since we've been fighting, I've actually been _doing_ the homework that was on this quiz." Stephanie giggled a little.

"Normally I'd laugh at something like that, but you'll get the better grade on that quiz, so I'm shutting up." She said. Sara laughed and threw the ball at the net, making a clean shot. Stephanie stared at her.

"What, have you been practicing since our fight too?" She asked with a smile. Sara shrugged.

"Guilty." She admitted, as she and Stephanie fell to the ground, staring up at the sky, laughing about anything and everything.

"Hey Steph, do you remember when I first came here, and we used to lay out here and stare at the clouds?" Sara asked. Stephanie smiled.

"Yeah, and you thought I would laugh at you because you and Britney used to do this at Jacobson like kids." She replied.

"Yeah, I guess I didn't realize back then just how great a friend you really are." Sara said with a bit of a smile. "I just hope we don't get into another fight like that." Stephanie sighed.

"We live in the same house, chances are good at some point or another, we'll fight again."

"Good point. I guess we just have to keep in mind that even though we fight, we can still be friends."

"Yeah, I fight with Deej and Michelle all the time, and I still love them to death."

"Yeah, but they're your sisters."

"But you're family, Sara. It's exactly the same." Stephanie stared at the sky and Sara smiled to herself. She tried to remember her time before Jesse and Becky adopted her, and she could only hear a thousand "I told you so's." She could remember the countless times her social worker, Ms. Morrison, had tried to convince her that not everybody in the world was going to hurt her like her mom and dad did. That there would be a family out there who would love her for who she was, and not reject her for who she wasn't. Even her best friend Britney had tried convincing her, but Sara had been so hurt, so scarred from what her mother and father had done to her, she couldn't see past that pain to the hope the future held for her. And here she was, lying on the grass of _her_ backyard, knowing that whenever she decided to go inside, there would be a family waiting for her, to love her unconditionally. That was how she knew this was where she was meant to be. Not with her parents.

Sara shot up, remembering the phone call. Stephanie sat up.

"What's the matter?" She wanted to know. Sara breathed out.

"Ms. Morrison called today. To talk to Jesse and Becky. About...my parents. She was going to find out if they came back to fight for custody. I forgot all about it." Sara's whole face paled, as she realized the truth was behind those doors. She didn't know if she wanted to know anymore. Stephanie stared at her seriously.

"Do you want me to come with you?" She asked. Sara returned her gaze and smiled.

"Thanks, but I'll be fine. Jesse and Becky will be there, and I'll tell you as soon as I find out what's going on." She stood up with one last smile and headed inside, grabbing her backpack as she went. She found Danny and D.J. cooking supper.

"Hi Sara, how are you?" Danny asked as he was just finishing up.

"I'm not sure yet. Do you know where Jesse and Becky are?" She asked, feeling her whole body trembling with anticipation and panic. This phone call could mean the beginning of the end for her new life. If her parents really had come back to regain custody of Sara, she would have to say goodbye to this family who loved her. Sara swallowed hard as Danny told her Jesse and Becky were in the living room.

Sara bravely walked through the doors to see Jesse and Becky sitting on the sofa, discussing something that obviously wasn't meant for Sara's ears, since they stopped as soon as she walked in.

"Sara, you're home." Becky said. Sara nodded, and Becky could tell right away Sara was afraid. Becky knew Sara well enough to know she was nervous, because all color had drained from her normally rosy cheeks.

"Why don't you come sit down, sweetie?" Becky said as she moved over and patted the couch. Sara swallowed hard and sat herself down in between Jesse and Becky, as she clasped her hands together tightly.

"Did...did Ms. Morrison call?" She asked, already knowing the answer. Ms. Morrison had said she would call today, and she wasn't one to break her promises, _especially_ about something as important as this. Jesse was the first to speak.

"Yeah, squirt, she did call us today." He said. Sara felt as though she would faint any moment now. She concentrated on breathing as she waited for Jesse or Becky to say something.

"You can stop worrying, sweetie. It's good news." Becky smiled a little and Sara felt her whole body relaxing as Becky took hold of her shaking hand.

"Your mom and dad don't want custody, Sara. They just moved back because they wanted to." Jesse said simply, smiling over Sara's head at Becky, who returned the gesture.

For a moment, Sara continued to feel relief, happiness that the people who had hurt her so badly weren't here to take her back. She could stay with Jesse and Becky after all.

But there was a part of her that felt hurt. After everything her parents had done to her, after everything they had put her through, they _still _didn't want her. For some reason, Sara felt upset.

"They don't want me?" Sara said, before she even realized she said it. _Of course they don't want me. They _never_ wanted me. Why the heck would they want me now?_

"Honey, I thought..." Becky started, but Sara cut her off.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm really happy I can stay here. I didn't want to leave you guys, it's just..." Sara swallowed, this was harder to talk about than she thought.

"It's just what, Sara? You can tell us." Jesse said, rubbing Sara's shoulder for encouragement.

"It's just...how can they give up on me...give me up and want nothing to do with me...and then go and have another baby?" Sara felt tears in her eyes, but she pushed them down. She would _not_ cry for them.

Neither Jesse or Becky knew what to say, but they both knew what the other was thinking. They both remembered the address and phone number Ms. Morrison had given them earlier, and her advice that perhaps Sara would need to see them, question them, and from what Sara was telling them, it seemed it might be a good idea to at least tell her.

Jesse mouthed over Sara's head, _after dinner_, and Becky nodded, as she pulled Sara into a hug. They all heard Danny's loud dinner call, so as Becky kissed Sara on the head, she stared at her seriously.

"We'll talk more about this after dinner, okay?" She asked. Sara nodded slightly, and Becky held her hand. "Are you okay for now?" Sara sighed.

"Yeah, I'm okay." She managed a slight smile as she stood and headed into the kitchen. Once the double door had stopped, Jesse turned to Becky.

"I still don't want her to see them." He said simply. Becky nodded sympathetically.

"I understand, Jesse, I don't want her to either, but it might be what she needs. But I agree. We'll tell her after dinner. I think she needs to calm down a little before she can make this decision. If we let her make it right now, she may decide to do it, but only out of anger and hurt." She said. Jesse nodded, knowing his wife was right.

"Okay, after dinner." He agreed, taking Becky's offered hand, and they both walked into the kitchen for dinner.

* * *

Sara was silent over dinner, only giving Stephanie a reassuring smile to let her know everything was okay. Stephanie picked up on it as meaning there would be no custody hearing, but still, Stephanie knew something wasn't right. Sara wasn't as happy as Steph was about it.

Becky and Jesse noticed Sara picking at the food on her plate, as she always did when she got upset, or nervous, or angry. It was a bad habit Jesse and Becky tried to help her overcome, because the day she had first moved in, she had to be rushed to the hospital after a fainting spell that had apparently been caused by her not eating for a few days prior to the adoption going through. Since then, Jesse and Becky kept an eye out for her.

Becky cleared her throat and tapped her own fork on her own plate, staring at Sara. Sara understood; it was their secret code to show Jesse and Becky had noticed, and wanted her to try to eat what she could. Sara was usually pretty good at eating what she could, but this time, she only shook her head at Becky and put her fork down. Becky sighed, looking at Jesse for support. He tapped his fork on his plate, and Sara stubbornly shook her head again. She stared at her plate and Jesse shrugged at Becky in defeat.

As the family conversed over dinner, Sara stood from the table, bringing her plate over to the refrigerator and placing it inside for later. She headed upstairs for her attic bedroom as Jesse and Becky continued to eat. Becky just hoped Sara would make the right decision about meeting up with her real parents.

* * *

Sara walked into her attic apartment and felt like she was going to scream. So much to think about, so much she should be grateful and appreciative for, and instead felt angry and rejected for. _If they don't want me, fine! But why did they have to have another baby? What was it about _me_ that made them leave? What is it about that baby that makes them want her, but not me? _Sara could feel tears welling up inside of her as she paced the apartment, wanting nothing more than to go into her room and cry for a day, but she knew Jesse and Becky would be coming up right after dinner to talk to her more about this. She wasn't even sure she wanted to talk to them about it; she didn't want to hurt their feelings. She didn't want it to sound as though she _wanted_ her parents to demand custody. She didn't, she wanted to stay with Jesse and Becky, but there was such a jumble of emotions inside of her that even _she_ couldn't make sense out of.

As she paced the attic, she saw a piece of lined paper up on Jesse's dresser, with some writing on it. She stared at it for a moment, curiously, and then turned to make sure nobody was coming up. She knew it was rude to be nosy, but her curiosity won. She picked up the piece of paper and swallowed hard as she read Jesse's messy writing.

Troy and Allison Stephenson

4384 Trentville Parkway

San Francisco, CA

555-4837

Sara shook her head. _Why do they have my mom and dad's new address? Why didn't they tell me?_ Sara could feel the tears welling up inside of her, out of anger and confusion. _Why wouldn't they tell me something this important?_ She held the paper that was shaking in her hand. Impulse was leading her as she stuffed the paper in her jeans pocket. She couldn't explain the need inside her to see her mother and father. That longing to know why was so overpowering inside of her as she ran into her bedroom to grab her jacket. _I have to know why they didn't want me._ She thought to herself, as she put her coat on. _Jesse and Becky obviously didn't want me to go, or they would have told me about it._ She quickly wrote a note, so they wouldn't worry, and left it on her pillow. As she left the attic quietly, she remembered the last time she had snuck out, nine months ago, when she first moved in. She remembered how worried Jesse and Becky had been, and she hated worrying them again, but this was something she _knew_ she had to do. _And if they won't let me, then I'll just have to do it on my own._


	13. A Missing Sara

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN:** **A Missing Sara**

"Sara was pretty quiet over dinner." Jesse pointed out as he held Becky's hand, walking up the stairs to their attic home. Becky nodded her agreement.

"I think she's really confused right now. I mean, on the one hand, she has to be happy they don't want her back; anybody would be happy to not have to go back to that life, but I think there's got to be a part of her that feels rejected." She replied. Jesse shook his head.

"Maybe that's hard for me to understand because I'm a guy." He said. Becky laughed.

"Or maybe it's because you're a father." She squeezed his hand. "You're just being protective. I love you for it." Jesse sighed.

"I can't help it. Just seeing her this afternoon killed me. Seeing her through this whole ordeal has. A girl her age shouldn't have to deal with stuff this horrible." He said.

"I know Jess, but she's not going through it alone, and she knows that." Becky pointed out.

"I just don't know what I'm going to do if she tells us she wants to see her parents. After everything they put her through, I want to keep Sara as far away from them as possible." Jesse said as he stopped outside their attic door. Becky smiled at him.

"Remember that this is something she has to decide for herself, but also remember, whatever happens, we're all in this together." She leaned in and gave him a kiss as they walked into their attic apartment. They didn't see Sara anywhere.

"She's probably in her room. I'll go check in on her and see if she wants to talk to us now." Becky said as she walked over to Sara's bedroom. Jesse walked over to his own bed, and to his dresser to grab hold of the piece of paper with Sara's parents' address on it.

Becky knocked quietly on Sara's closed door.

"Sweetie, it's me. Do you want to talk?" She said quietly as she waited for an answer, but received none. Becky knocked again and still heard nothing. Having a sudden flashback about finding Sara inside her bedroom, passed out from not eating for three days on her first day with them, she opened the door and walked inside to find the room empty. Becky puckered her brow. _Maybe she's with Steph._ But that didn't make any sense; Stephanie was still downstairs helping Danny wash the dishes. That was when she saw it. A small piece of paper folded up neatly and lying on Sara's pillow. Becky swallowed with a sigh as she grabbed the paper, unfolding it hurriedly. She found Sara's writing inside.

"Becky, the address is gone!" Jesse called from the other room, walking into Sara's bedroom as Becky looked up from the note with worried eyes.

"So is Sara." She said simply, handing Jesse the note. Jesse felt uneasy in the pit of his stomach as he read Sara's words.

_Dear Jesse and Becky,_

_I can't understand why you didn't tell me you had my mom and dad's address. You always tell me to be honest and you kept the truth from me. I'm sorry I ran off without telling you, but you will never understand why I had to do this. I don't know why I have to see them, but I do. I will be back in a while. Please don't be mad. You can ground me if you want, but this is just something I had to do._

_Sara_

Jesse looked up at Becky.

"She found the address." He said. Becky sighed.

"She thinks we were going to keep it from her." She said worriedly. "Now she's gone off to find them herself."

"We'd better get going then if we're going to find her." Jesse said as he grabbed his coat on his way out of Sara's room.

"Jesse, do you really think she would go to their house by herself?" Becky asked as she caught her own coat on the way. Jesse sighed out loudly.

"I don't know Beck, but she has the address and she's not exactly in the greatest frame of mind right now. She's angry and she's hurt." He pointed out.

"Whatever her frame of mind is, Jesse, it's dark out, and worse than that, it's dangerous for her to be out this late in the day. We have to find her." Becky said, running ahead of Jesse down the stairs.

"You start the car, I'll let Danny know so if she comes home, he can give us a call. I'll also get Deej to put the twins to bed if we're not back before their bedtime." Jesse said as Becky nodded and headed out to the car. Jesse sighed, as he went to find his brother-in-law.

* * *

Jesse took a deep breath as they pulled into an unfamiliar driveway several blocks from their own home. Jesse could feel the anger raging inside of him as he stared up at the large brick house, forcing himself not to imagine the people behind those walls; the very people who beat Sara, yelled at her and abused her in more way than one.

"Jesse, you have to calm down. I'm angry and upset too, but Sara might be in there, and you can't get angry." Becky said, her voice still shaking. They had left the house only moments ago, and came straight to the Stephenson's house, knowing it was where Sara had been headed.

"I know Becky, but it's so hard. Sara is my daughter, and I just want to protect her." Jesse replied.

"Right now, the only thing that's important is finding Sara and talking to her. We can deal with our anger and hurt after that." Becky said, unbuckling her seatbelt. Jesse drew in a deep breath as he finally agreed and did the same. Becky slid her hand into Jesse's and squeezed for reassurance as much as support. They walked up the driveway together, up the porch steps and finally Becky rang the doorbell. Jesse saw a light turn on inside and he squeezed Becky's hand tighter.

The front door opened, and a taller woman answered the door, with a very tall man behind her. Becky's first thought was how Sara could be so tiny with parents so tall. The two of them stared at Jesse and Becky with raised eyebrows.

"You...must be Troy and Allison Stephenson." Becky said as politely as she could muster. Allison raised an eyebrow.

"Who's asking?" She asked, in a bit of a rude tone. Jesse suppressed his rage.

"My name is Becky and this is my husband." Becky swallowed hard. "We...adopted your daughter Sara." Becky waited for a reaction, but was painfully surprised when neither Troy or Allison seemed to flinch.

"We just stopped by to see if Sara was here." Becky said after a pained silence. Troy scoffed as he looked at his wife.

"Why the _hell_ would she be here?" He asked.

"She found out you were here in San Francisco. Ms. Morrison gave us your address in case Sara wanted to see you. Sara found the address before we had a chance to talk to her and now she's missing. We thought maybe she would have come here." Becky replied, saddened by the fact that these were the very people who destroyed Sara's childhood.

"Well she's definitely not here. I haven't seen that kid since the day we left for Florida." Allison said with a roll of her eyes. Jesse took a step forward but Becky gripped his hand tightly, eyeing him sideways. He swallowed hard. How could these people seem so heartless?

"This is my cellphone number," Becky handed Allison a small piece of paper, "Please, I'm really worried about her. Please call me if she shows up." Allison considered her as she took the paper. She didn't look angry, or upset; just confused, but she nodded.

"Alright, I will." She said quietly as Becky thanked her. Both she and Jesse turned from the Stephenson's and headed back to their car. The Stephenson's were only a few blocks away from home; she would have gotten here by now, Becky reasoned. _Sara, where are you?_ Becky wondered to herself as Jesse pulled out of the parking lot. _It's not safe for you, especially when you're this upset._ Becky sighed as she stared out her window, hoping for any sign of Sara.


	14. Sara's In Danger

_Hey guys, I'm so so sorry I haven't added to this story in a while. For a couple of weeks, I lost my outline, but the rest of the time, I've just been busy. I'm really sorry, and hope you can forgive me :) I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I promise, it won't take this long for the rest of it. I have my outline, and I'll keep going. Thank you for your patience :)_

* * *

Sara clutched herself tightly for warmth as she quietly but quickly walked down a street she was certain she had never seen before. The whole area of town seemed unfamiliar and definitely not the place for a thirteen-year-old girl - that much she knew. She swallowed hard. _Becky and Jesse would kill me if they knew where I was._ Sara sighed to herself. _God I wish _I_ knew where I was._

She shuddered to herself as she stared at the old, mold-infested building lining the streets on both sides. Sara forced herself not to look into the eyes of the countless strangers watching her every move, probably wondering to themselves what a young girl is doing in this area of town this late at night.

She checked her watch under a streetlight. It was nearing 10:00p.m. She had been walking for hours.

Sara reached into her coat pocket, pulling out the slip of paper with her parents address. She thought she had been certain where that street was, but it turned out she had been wrong.

_Now I don't even know how to get back home._ Sara swallowed hard as she looked up and down the trashy street. It was getting colder now, and that was when Sara began to feel rain on her head. Within minutes, the sky had opened up and rain was coming down heavily in sheets. Sara squinted to see the habitants of the street rushing inside to their apartments, or into bars to get out of the rain, but Sara had nowhere to go.

She spotted a payphone just up the street, and she ran to it, already feeling her hair sticking to her neck from the rain. Every inch of her was frozen, her coat wasn't keeping out the rain at all.

Sara dug out a quarter from her pocket and dialed her phone number. She waited as one ring became two, then three and four, when finally the answering machine picked up. Sara slammed down the phone angrily. _They're all out looking for me!_ Sara knew immediately, remembering the last time she had run away from home.

She felt tears in her eyes, out of fear, and shame. _I should have just talked to Jesse and Becky instead of leaving in anger._ She thought to herself, as she wrapped her arms around herself and began walking. _I wouldn't be in this mess, and I'd be at home, warm, and maybe getting some answers._

Fear overwhelmed her almost as much as the cold did. There was nothing to do, but to at least try and make it home.

She turned around in a full circle, not remembering the way she came from, and finally decided to turn onto a road that had no streetlights. _Maybe I'll be less noticed by strangers that way._ She knew being a thirteen-year-old girl out this late would draw attention to herself, and questions would be asked. The more she could avoid them, the better.

Sara regretted it almost immediately. This street was too quiet, too dark, and got darker the further down it she walked. _I don't think this is the right way at all._ Sara thought to herself, as she stopped and looked around. The rain was preventing her from seeing too far ahead, but she knew she would have to turn around. _This was such a bad idea._ She thought to herself, as she turned to head back to the main street.

"Where do you think _you're_ going, little girl?" A rough voice asked her from behind. Sara froze in her tracks, feeling her heart stop, and her stomach lurch. She knew whoever the voice belonged to was talking to her. She remained where she was, unable to move.

"Turn around! I asked you a question!" The voice shouted, causing Sara to jump. She turned around, afraid not to as much as she was of facing whoever was talking to her.

Sara found not one, but a group of about seven girls, all older than her, and bigger. She noticed they were all wearing red bandanas in their hair, and each had their own arrangement of tattoos and piercings. They all stared at Sara with anger and hatred in their eyes. Sara immediately knew who they were, and she trembled at the thought. Becky had warned her about being alone, and here she was, facing one of the teen gangs of San Francisco.

"Long way from home, ain't you?" One girl asked with a mock tone in her voice, as her friends laughed. Sara swallowed hard, wanting nothing more than to run, but knowing she could never outrun these girls, who were at least four or five years older than she was, and nearly twice as big. Plus, she was outnumbered, seven to one. She could do nothing but hope they would let her leave.

"This ain't no place for you. This is _our_ area of town. Any kid who lives here knows that. What should make you any different?" Another girl scoffed. Sara tried to find her voice, but couldn't. Fear paralyzed her in every aspect. She felt like she couldn't even blink, just stare in fear at the gang, terrified of what they were going to do to her.

Sara noticed as two of the girls began talking amongst themselves, as the rest of them stared Sara down. Sara thought she could hear most of the conversation, and that instilled in her new fear, and terror.

"What should we do?" One girl asked.

"Jana's in charge, you know that." The other replied.

"Yeah, but she ain't here."

"You know how she is about us doing stuff without tellin' her."

"What should we do then?"

"I say we bring the kid to the Hideaway, and see what Jana wants to do. She'll tell us what to do. I don't think she'd be happy if we let her go."

"Yeah, okay." Then the two turned their attentions back to Sara, who shook her head in fear.

Sara, forgetting about the chances she had of escape, turned and began to run back toward the main street, but just as she had thought, she was outnumbered, and clearly disadvantaged. She felt hands grasping at her arms, her hair, her shirt, whatever they could grab hold of. She tried to yell, but she felt a hand slapped over her mouth, as the gang of teenage girls, laughing and talking, ran down the street with Sara in their grasp, toward their destination.

* * *

Sara's wet hair clung to her face, blinding her vision, unable to see where it was these girls were taking her. They were rough, pulling her down the alleyway, ducking down into new ones, talking and laughing. 

"God, I hope Jana lets us beat her up. That oughta teach her a lesson about invadin' our area of town." One girl said, as the others hooted their agreement.

"She'll never mess with us again, that's for sure." The girl who had her hand over Sara's mouth said. Sara suddenly felt herself being yanked toward what she could see was an abandoned warehouse. It was difficult to make out, with the hair in her eyes, but she saw one of the girls pulling open the heavy metal door, that squeaked loudly, and the gang of girls filed inside quickly, pulling Sara along roughly. As soon as the heavy door was closed, the girl who had a hold on Sara let go, and Sara took a breath, pulling her hair out of her eyes to take in her surroundings. It was a large room, abandoned and cold. There was nothing but pipes, lining the sides of the room, no windows, no escape but the heavy door. Sara forced herself not to look at the girls, trying to breath steadily, so as not to show her fear.

"Charlee, Ronny, you stay here with the kid, make sure she don't make any noise or try escapin' or nothing. We're going to find Jana, and we'll be back soon." The one girl said, as she and four other girls left the building, slamming the heavy door shut behind them. The two girls left didn't look happy, as the taller of the two grabbed hold of Sara's hair, and pulled her over to the corner of the room, pushing her violently to the ground.

"You don't move from that spot, got it?" She yelled. Sara could do nothing but nod, as she rubbed the spot where she had pulled at her hair. The girl walked over to where the other one was standing, and the two began talking, as they grabbed a couple of chairs, and glanced over at Sara every few seconds, their stares vicious and angry. Sara felt nauseated, tired and scared. These girls were going to beat her up, and it was all because Sara had made an impulsive decision. _A stupid decision. Why couldn't I have just waited and asked them? Why do I have to be so stupid?_

As fear overwhelmed her, and guilt alongside of it, she hugged her knees, and hoped that whatever happened would be quick.


	15. Sara Meets Jana

Becky stifled a yawn as she and Jesse drove around San Francisco, still desperately searching for Sara. Becky held her cell phone close, hoping that Danny, or Joey would call with news, or even Sara's parents; maybe Sara had arrived at their house after all. She thought the police may call with news as well; she had called them only moments ago to report a missing person.

"Jesse it's been hours." Becky said, surprised at how steady her voice actually sounded, despite the terror she felt inside. Jesse could only nod, knowing this to be true. This was their third time driving around the area, with no sign of Sara, and nobody remembered seeing a young girl running around on her own.

Becky checked her watch, it was nearing midnight and she was growing exhausted, but would not rest until her daughter was found.

"Jesse, what if-"

"Don't, Becky." Becky looked up and saw Jesse shaking his head.

"Jess."

"I don't want to think about what could have happened to her, Beck, I gotta keep believing she's out there somewhere, and any minute now, we'll see her run out of one of these streets and we'll take her home. That's what _has_ to happen, Becky, I won't have it any other way." Jesse replied with a hint of anger in his voice. Knowing her husband, she knew exactly what he was feeling, and she shook her head.

"Jesse you can't blame yourself for this." She said calmly. Jesse didn't saw anything for quite some time, before he finally slammed his hand against the steering wheel.

"Becky, I left the address out for anybody to see; I should have realized Sara would have seen it, we should have talked to her first." Jesse replied, staring ahead coldly. Becky shook her head.

"There's no point in playing the "should have" game, Jess. Every parent makes mistakes, and how were we supposed to know she would have seen that piece of paper and reacted in the way she did? Jesse, we can't read her mind." She said, as Jesse turned another corner. He sighed.

"Did you call home? Maybe she's there." Jesse said quietly. Becky sighed, pulling out her cell phone. She knew that if Sara had arrived at home, DJ would have called. But for Jesse's sake, she called the house.

DJ picked up the phone.

"Hey Deej, anything?" Becky asked, feeling a knot in her stomach, feeling just the slightest bit of hope.

"No, I'm sorry aunt Becky. But the police called. They said they tried to call your cell, but it was busy." DJ replied. Becky sighed to herself. They had probably tried calling when she was on the phone with Danny.

"What did they say?" She asked.

"They just wanted you to know they sent out a few more squad cars to search for her." DJ replied. Becky felt tears sting her eyes. The reality of the situation hurt, and she felt like she couldn't breathe for a moment. She took a deep breath, thanked DJ, and hung up the phone.

She looked over at Jesse, who didn't even have to ask. They remained silent, as they continued to weave their way through the streets of San Francisco, each consumed with their own thoughts and fears.

* * *

Sara watched carefully as the girl who she figured out was Charlee paced back and forth impatiently, beating her fists together. Ronny's eyes never left Sara, who never once returned her glare. Ronny was fierce looking and the way she looked at Sara told her if this Jana person allowed them to beat her, Ronny would be the one to throw the first punch. Sara swallowed hard, feeling her body tremble at the thought. 

"God, how long does it take to find Jana? She don't go very far!" Charlee exclaimed loudly, causing Sara to jump a little. Sara felt tears in her eyes, wishing for nothing more than the police to run through those doors first, with Jesse and Becky right behind them, but she knew better than to believe that would happen. _Maybe I deserve this. I'm the one who ran away without telling them I was leaving. I'm the one who's been told over and over again not to go anywhere alone because of the street gangs. I deserve this. It's my fault._ Sara wrapped her arms around her knees and sighed.

"They'll be here soon. Jana'll let us do it." Ronny said in a monotone voice. Charlee sighed audibly.

"Yeah well they'd better get here before the cops show up. I don't wanna do anymore jail time. It stinks there." She said in a huff, as she dropped herself on to the nearest stool. Ronny shook her head.

"Stop yer compainin' Charlee, we'll get outta here before cops show up." She replied. Sara shivered to herself, and wished they were wrong, but she wasn't feeling very hopeful. Especially when she heard the familiar sound of older girls swearing and laughing in the distance. They were back.

Sara nearly jumped out of her skin when the warehouse doors were wrenched open and a group of ten or more older teenagers walked in, all staring at Sara with hatred and eager eyes. Sara felt her stomach lurch into her stomach, as she saw some of the girls putting on rings. Her eyes ended up on the tallest of the group, a girl with dark red hair, seemingly older than the rest of the girls. She looked about 20 or so, and there was an air of authority about her. Sara could only guess this was Jana.

Jana's eyes met Sara's, who immediately looked away. Sara heard the approaching footsteps, and she held her breath, refusing to look up at the group of girls who were staring down at her.

"This is her, Jana."

"Yeah, the kid who thinks she can just walk around our area."

"C'mon Jana, let us beat the crap out of her."

"That'd teach her a lesson alright."

"What d'ya say?"

Sara finally looked up to see Jana staring down at her with a raised eyebrow. She seemed to be ignoring the other girls, who were still telling her their story.

"What's your name, kid?" Jana asked. Sara swallowed, afraid to answer, but more afraid not to.

"Sara." She replied, noticing her voice sounded calmer than she felt inside.

"What the hell you doing out this late? In this area?" Jana asked. Sara swallowed hard.

"I...I was looking for someone." She replied, feeling the tears stinging her eyes. "Please just let me go." She was whispering now. She heard Jana sigh, and the girls started pressuring her again.

"C'mon Jana, just let us do this."

"That'll teach her a lesson."

"We'll be quick."

"C'mon!"

Jana turned to them.

"Fine! You got five minutes! Then get outta here! The cops are probably already looking for her or somethin'. I'll be at the other warehouse!" With that, Jana turned to leave, but she looked at Sara before she left.

"I hope I don't see you in this area again, kid." She walked away, and Sara tried to back away as the rest of the girls closed in on her. She noticed some of them had sticks, and they were all staring at her with a hungry hatred. She didn't even notice who kicked her first, after that, nothing made sense.

The girls kicked her, punched her, and spit on her. Sara was barely conscious of the fact that they were yelling and screaming and swearing things at her, but Sara could only feel the violent blows.

She couldn't see. She could barely breath. All she could feel was pain, in every muscle, every joint, as she lie on the cold floor with no hope of escape. She could no longer move anything.

Sara thought for sure she had imagined the sound of police sirens, as somebody's boot collided hard with her head. Everything began to go black, but nobody was kicking or hitting her anymore. She heard distant voices and then nothing. She tried to open her eyes to see what was happening. The girls were gone. They left her laying there like a crumpled mess. Sara turned her head slightly to see her own blood on the concrete floor. She was conscious of her own staggered breathing. She was conscious of every sore muscle and every open cut. But consciousness was fading fast. Her head was throbbing and her vision was blurring.

Before she succumbed to unconsciousness, she saw a figure bend over her. She couldn't make out any facial features, but she recognized the blue uniform. He was a policeman.

"Hey kid, stay with me for just a sec, okay? I need you to tell me one thing. It's gonna be okay. Is your name Sara Katsoppolus?" The cop asked. Sara, feeling the slightest bit of hope, forced herself to nod before she passed out.


	16. Sara Is Found

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Sara Is Found**

Becky nearly jumped out of her seat when she heard her cell phone ring. Her heart startedbeating wildly as her shaking hands reached for the phone. Jesse almost had to pull the car over, as his nerves were shot, but he continued to drive, steadily holding the wheel straight.

"Hello?" Becky asked, her voice lined with worry and exhaustion.

"Mrs. Katsoppulus, it's Officer Clayton, we found your daughter." The man on the other end said quickly. Becky felt her heart skip a beat as she breathed out, and mouthed to Jesse with tears in her eyes that Sara had been found.

"W-where is she? Is she okay?" Becky asked as she felt a tear roll down her cheek.

"I don't know yet, the ambulance is here and..."

"Ambulance? Why? Where are you?" Becky shouted out as her stomach sank and she clutched Jesse's offered hand tightly.

"You'd better get down here right away. We'll fill you in when you get here." Officer Clayton quickly recited the address of the warehouse and Becky hung up the phone, as Jesse rounded a corner, already on his way.

* * *

"Stop Jesse, that's it right there!" Becky cried, as Jesse skidded the car with a screech. Both jumped out of the car, frightened by the sight of the ambulance, flashing it's lights, as they ran into the warehouse doors.

Everything was a blur, but it was easy to see where the action was. In the corner of the warehouse were a group of people surrounding someone who was laying on a gurney, unconscious. It took a moment for Becky and Jesse to realize it was Sara, her beautiful face was covered in bruises.

"What happened?" Becky asked through tears, as Becky and Jesse ran over to the crowd of paramedics and police officers.

"We got a call that there was some gang activity down this way and when we showed up, I found a gang of girls beating this one up pretty harshly. We chased 'em off, and I was lucky enough for Sara to give me her name before she passed out." Officer Clayton answered, as Becky reached out to smooth her daughter's hair, who was still unconscious. Jesse grabbed hold of Sara's small hand as the paramedics shone their bright lights into Sara's eyes.

"Sara, can you hear me? Come on, sweetie, you need to wake up now okay?" Becky said quietly, knowing she wouldn't, but she had to try.

"Clayton." A gruff voice interrupted the group, as another police officer approached. "Most of them got away, but we caught about 3 or 4 of the girls who did this. They'll be charged." The officer said. Clayton sighed.

"Good. Maybe we can start to get these gangs off the streets. It's too dangerous." He replied. Becky swallowed hard as she looked over at the young woman who was still peering into Sara's eyes.

"Is she going to be okay?" She asked with a lump in her throat. She felt Jesse's comforting arms around her as they stared at their daughter, who lay helpless on the gurney. The paramedic nodded with a sigh.

"She was beaten pretty badly, but she'll be okay. There aren't any broken bones or head injuries from what I can see. She probably just passed out from all the blows. We're going to take her to the hospital to be sure, but judging by the fact that she was coherent enough before she passed out, she should wake up soon." She replied. Becky managed a small smile and a thanks.

Jesse and Becky had to back away as the paramedics gently lifted Sara into the ambulance.

"We're right behind you." Jesse said to the paramedics, as he pulled Becky away to get to their car. Becky was reluctant to leave, but Jesse convinced her the quicker they got out of here, the quicker they could get to the hospital.

Jesse was immediately on the cell phone, calling home. He heard Danny's worried voice on the other end.

"Danny, it's alright, they found her. I'll fill you on all the details later, but could you get Deej or Steph to put the twins down? We probably won't be home for a while yet. We have to take Sara to the hospital." Jesse said, surprised at how calm his voice sounded as he drove down the street behind the flashing ambulance.

"Hospital? What happened? Is she okay?" Danny asked. Jesse sighed.

"The paramedics say she'll be fine, but they just want to be sure. Look I'll fill you in later alright? Thanks buddy." Jesse hung up and looked over at Becky who was still pretty shaken up.

"She's alright Becky." Jesse said quietly. Becky nodded.

"Thank God." She breathed out. "But...look at what they did to her. Jess, it hurt so much to...to see her that way." Becky's voice shook a little, but she stopped the tears from escaping.

"I know, they hurt her pretty badly." Jesse replied with a sigh.

"She's just a kid."

The two continued to drive in silence for a few minutes, as the ambulance rounded another corner, nearing the hospital. Jesse broke the silence as he exhaled slowly.

"How do you think we should handle this?" He asked. Becky turned to him.

"Handle what?" She wanted to know.

"I want to make sure she's alright, that's the priority. But after that, we have to address the fact that she disobeyed us. She knows she's not supposed to go anywhere without telling us, _and_ she knew about the gangs, and knew she wasn't allowed to go anywhere by herself. What do you want to do about this?" Jesse asked. Becky nodded with a sigh.

"You're right. First priority, make sure she's okay and be glad she's alive. What she did was acted on impulsively, because of anger and all the emotions she's been feeling for the last week or so. It's all been building up and when she saw that address, she assumed the worst. Yes, I agree it was still wrong of her to disobey us, but let's talk to her about this first, okay?" She asked. Jesse nodded.

"Sounds good." He paused. Silence followed, until Becky spoke again.

"I think we should also be open to the possibility of letting Sara see her parents." Jesse turned to her immediately.

"That's a bad idea." He said flatly.

"Jesse, she wants to see them, I'm sure of it. Why else would she take the address and go? I don't know what she wants from them, but we have to respect her if she does need to see them." Becky replied, feeling frustrated, not liking this idea any more than Jesse did.

"Becky, it's their fault this happened to her. Not directly, but they might as well have beat her themselves. I don't want to know what that would do to Sara. You saw how they were when we stopped by their house. They have no desire to see or hear from their daughter. They just don't care about her. They never did." Jesse replied angrily. Becky sighed.

"I know Jess," They pulled into the hospital parking lot as Becky put her hand over Jesse's, "But it should be her choice."


	17. Sara's Awake

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: Sara's Awake**

As soon as Jesse and Becky arrived at the hospital, they were stopped at the front desk to fill out all the necessary forms and information before they would let them go to Sara's room. Finally, the receptionist gave the couple a room number, and off they went in search of room 2342.

When they entered the room, a tall light-haired woman was checking a girl's pulse. Becky and Jesse hardly recognized their daughter at first, as the bruises they had seen earlier had swollen even larger.

"You must be Sara's parents?" The woman asked as she turned to face them. "I'm Dr. Burke. Don't panic. I know Sara's unconscious, but she's just fine. When the paramedics were bringing her here, they said she woke up for a few minutes and was coherent, but she passed out again. She'll be able to go home once she wakes up and we check her over again. But there isn't anything broken or permanently damaged. She's a very lucky girl." Jesse and Becky both breathed a sigh of relief as Becky felt Jesse's hand squeeze her own.

"Thank you so much Dr. Burke." Becky said with a smile. Dr. Burke returned the smile.

"You're welcome, glad I could help." She headed for the door. "I'll be back in a little while to check on her. You're welcome to stay as long as you want, but I have a feeling she'll be out of here within the next couple of hours." As she left, Becky fell into her husbands arms, and he held her tight.

"See that? She's fine. She's a fighter, come on, we already knew that. We saw her face off with Stephanie." Jesse said with a bit of a laugh. Becky smiled, as she and Jesse approached the bedside and pulled up a chair. Becky sat herself on her husband's lap as they waited for Sara's eyes to open, for her to tell them herself she was okay.

They didn't have to wait long, as Sara stirred, and finally opened her eyes. Jesse and Becky both looked down at her with a smile.

"Hey squirt." Jesse said.

"Hi honey, how you are feeling?" Becky asked, as they let Sara take in her surroundings. She sighed.

"I'm in the hospital, aren't I?" She asked. Becky and Jesse nodded.

"Yeah, but you're gonna be just fine. They already told us as soon as you woke up, they'd check you out one more time, and then you could come home with us." Jesse replied. Sara nodded, as she forced herself to sit up, wincing a bit as she began to feel the impact of those kicks. Becky was right beside her, helping her up.

"Sweetie, be careful. You got hurt pretty badly." She said, as Sara looked at her, tears starting in her eyes. Before she knew it, she was crying.

"I'm so sorry." She managed to say, as she looked from Jesse to Becky. "I don't know what I was thinking. I just did it. I, I just..."

"Hey, don't worry about it. We should have told you right away about having their address." Jesse said.

"We were going to tell you after dinner, when we all sat down to talk." Becky added. Jesse smiled.

"You couldn't have been just a little more patient?" Sara smiled a little, her cheeks coloring slightly.

"Sorry." She said. Jesse and Becky smiled.

"How are you feeling? Is anything sore?" Becky asked. Sara laughed a little, rubbing the tears out of her eyes.

"Everything." She said. "But it's my own fault. I should never have gone off on my own. Especially after you warned me about those gangs."

"You're right, you shouldn't have gone off on your own. You've been through enough, so we aren't going to punish you. But please trust us from now on when we set rules. We do it for good reason." Becky said. Sara nodded.

"I know." She whispered, breathing out slowly.

Silence followed for a period of time, as Sara appeared to be deep in thought. Jesse and Becky both got the impression she was still thinking about her biological parents. Becky leaned forward a little.

"Sweetheart, what are you thinking about?" She paused. "Your parents?" Sara seemed ashamed that she was, but Becky offered her a reassuring nod, letting her know it was okay that she was. Sara leaned back against the bed's headboard.

"I still want to see them." She finally said, after a moment's hesitation. Jesse and Becky remained calm, both of them keeping their own feelings about the matter hidden from Sara. They had agreed it was going to be her decision.

"Why, Sara? Why do you want to see them?" Jesse asked, knowing it was ultimately going to be his daughter's decision, but he _had_ to know the reasons why.

Sara stared at him straight in the face, forcing herself not to cry as she answered his question.

"I need to know _why._ I need to know why they could go and have another baby when they didn't want _me._ What made me so damn unlovable?" Tears streaked her bruised cheeks as they fell onto her blanket. Ashamed, she looked down. Becky grabbed her hand instinctively.

"That is _not_ true. You are _not_ unlovable! God, Sara, we love you _so_ much. You know that, right?" Becky asked. Sara nodded.

"Yeah, I know you do, but I need to know why _they_ didn't. What was it about me that made them hurt me, and then leave me all alone? How could they have another kid and be happy with her, like they couldn't be with me? I need to know _why._ I have to see them because of that." She said, swallowing the lump that was forming in her throat. Jesse and Becky glanced at each other, knowing Sara would not get the answers she wanted from her parents, if they went to see them, but they had to respect Sara's wishes.

"Alright, Sara. If you want to see them, we'll take you. But, I'm telling you right now, it's going to be really hard on you." Jesse said, with one final attempt to talk her out of it. Sara nodded.

"I know." She breathed deeply. "But I think it will be harder not knowing."

Jesse and Becky nodded.

"If you're sure..."

"I'm sure." Sara wiped away the last of her tears. She looked up at Jesse and Becky, and with a small smile, said, "But right now, all I want to do is go home."

They all laughed.


	18. Sara's Final Decision

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:** **Sara's Final Decision**

Sara was released from the hospital an hour later, and received a warm welcome from her family when she, Jesse and Becky walked in the front door that night. The twins were in bed, of course, but everyone else had stayed up, waiting for Sara to come home. Stephanie nearly cried when she saw Sara's bruises and cuts, but Sara convinced her they didn't hurt that much, thanks to the painkillers the doctors prescribed her.

That night, Sara had another nightmare.

_It started inside the grocery store, when Sara turned the corner and saw her mom_

_and dad, picking groceries off the shelf, with a little girl with them. Sara's sister. It was exactly as Sara remembered it happening, only this time, the little girl was laughing at her._

_"Mommy, daddy love _me_." She said, as her mom and dad nodded their agreement. "Not_ you_." The whole dream consisted of them laughing at her, taunting her._

Sara barely had time to think about the nightmare because that following morning, Jesse drove Sara down to the police station, because they still needed a statement from Sara about everything that had happened. Sara told the police everything she remembered, from the time she had met the gang in the alley, to the last thing she saw before she lost consciousness. It was everything Jesse could do not to tear up. Especially since the evidence from what those girls did to Sara was right on her face.

The police told Sara that most of the girls were caught, and were being charged, but some of them were still out there.

"They aren't the only gang running the streets, either. You'd do best to stay away from dark alleyways, and never go anywhere alone." The officer had told her, raising his eyebrow as he had Sara sign her statement. Sara agreed, and was secretly thankful that Jesse hadn't thrown out an "I told you so" on their way out of the station.

* * *

Now, a week later, Sara stared at herself in the mirror, thankful the bruises were clearing up. Her eyes weren't as swollen, and Jesse and Becky said she could go back to school on Monday. She was glad it was the weekend, though. At least Stephanie would be home to hang out with.

Jesse was downstairs with the twins, making them breakfast when Sara came running down the stairs.

"Hey squirt, how'd you sleep?" Jesse asked, as the twins were giggling about something. Sara shrugged.

"Okay, I guess." She paused. "Where's Becky?"

"She's on the phone." Jesse replied, placing two plates in front of the twins with freshly scrambled eggs.

"With who?" Sara asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. Jesse stared at her seriously, and Sara knew before he could even answer.

"It's Ms. Morrison, isn't it?" She asked. Earlier in the week, Sara begged Jesse and Becky to call her social worker and ask if she could get in contact with Sara's parents to arrange a meeting. Sara wasn't even sure it would work, or if her parents would even _agree_ to see her after all these years, but she needed to try. She _had_ to ask them.

Jesse nodded, and Sara ran into the living room where Becky was seated on the sofa, talking silently. She saw Sara come into the living room, and Becky offered an encouraging smile, as she patted a spot on the sofa. Sara joined her, as she listened to her conversation.

"Really...I'm surprised, to be honest...No, I just didn't think-" She glanced at Sara, who raised her eyebrows inquisitively. "Okay, I'll tell her, can you hold for a minute?" Becky cupped her hand over the phone and stared at Sara seriously. Sara swallowed hard.

"Ms. Morrison got a hold of your mom and dad, Sara. They agreed to see you. This afternoon." Becky said. Sara's stomach dropped and her heart started hammering against her chest. _This was a bad idea, this was a _bad_ idea!_ She thought to herself as she imagined herself seeing her mom and dad again, actually _talking_ to them. She didn't know if she could do it.

"I-" Sara tried, swallowing hard as tears began to fill her eyes.

"Sara, you don't have to do this. You know that, right?" Becky asked quietly, pushing Sara's hair out of her face.

Sara sighed. She remembered clearly the day her parents left her. How excited she had been, just to bring home her report card and make her parents proud, just once. There was nothing left in that big old house except a small suitcase with a few of Sara's things, and a note on top that Sara had never seen. She didn't have to. Even though she didn't know what it said at the time, she knew now. How could she face them again, after all that? How could she see the parents she so desperately wanted to make proud, the parents she so desperately wanted to love her? How could she ask them _why_ they didn't love her enough to keep her, but could have another little girl?

Sara looked up at Becky with tears in her eyes, and bravely took a breath in.

"No, I have to go." She paused, as she felt Becky's hand over her own. "But...I need you and Jesse to come with me." Becky smiled and kissed Sara's forehead.

"Of course we'll come with you." She whispered, and then turned back to the phone to get the information from Ms. Morrison. Sara sat there, shocked. After nearly five years, she was going to see her mom and dad again, and confront them for all the pain they caused her.

She felt like she was going to be sick.

* * *

Sara heard nothing of the conversation Jesse and Becky were having in the car a few hours later as they were on their way to the same address Sara had tried to find a week ago. She was entranced in her own trail of thoughts. She couldn't believe this was happening. She tried to rehearse what she was going to say, _how_ she was going to say it, but nothing was coming to mind. She just felt sick to her stomach, as she leaned back against the seat.

"Hey, you back there!" Jesse yelled out, causing Sara to jump a little. She stared at Jesse through the rearview mirror.

"What?" She asked.

"I've only been calling your name a dozen times. You look a little spacey." Jesse replied with a wink. Sara smiled meekly.

"Sara, we're going to be right there with you. If you get too upset, or you feel like you can't do it, we'll understand and we'll go home okay? This is all on your terms." Becky said. Sara took a deep breath.

"I know, and I really appreciate you guys doing it for me. I know you both think this is a bad idea." She said. Jesse and Becky exchanged worried glances.

"What makes you think that, sweetheart?" Becky asked. Sara shook her head.

"No offense, but if you're going to talk about something you don't want overheard, I suggest you don't do it when you're in the twins' room. The walls are like paper thin. I hear everything." She said, with a bit of a grin. Jesse sighed.

"Well, Ms. _Eavesdropper_, Becky and I just thought it was a bad idea because, well, we don't want to see you hurt by them again." He explained.

"But sweetie, we understand why you want to do this, why you _need_ to do this. Just know we're with you every step of the way." Becky added. Sara nodded her thanks and continued to stare off into space.

Sara felt her heart stop when they turned into a small driveway not long afterward. She stared up at the house that was much larger than the one she had grown up in, and also much neater. The front lawn was kept, and there were even flowers blooming. A white picket fence lined the front lawn and a "Home Sweet Home" plaque was mounted on the front door. Sara sighed. _A perfect home for a perfect family._ She thought bitterly as she got out of the car slowly.

Jesse grabbed her hand and squeezed it as Becky gave her a quick hug.

"Let's go." Becky said, and the three of them made their way up to the front door. Sara felt as though she were going to faint when Jesse rang the doorbell.


	19. Sara's Closure

It was Sara's mother who answered the door, her eyes going straight to Sara. Over the past week, Sara had imagined this moment, trying to figure out what it would be like. She imagined her parents opening the door, spotting her and immediately regretting everything bad they had ever done to her, pull her into a big hug and apologize for the next hour.

Judging by the look on her mother's face, it wasn't going to be like that.

Sara's mother just stared at her, raised an eyebrow and exhaled.

"You got big, kid." She said, as she motioned them all inside. Sara swallowed hard as she followed her mother inside, Jesse and Becky right behind her.

She found herself in the living room, on a couch with Jesse and Becky seated beside her. Sara's mom, Allison, walked to the end of a staircase.

"Troy, they're here." She called up irritably. She took a seat in an armchair across from her daughter, and didn't look at her once. Sara shook her head, wanting to yell at her right there and then. _How could you?_

Troy, Sara's dad, came down the stairs and into the room seconds later, and his eyes went straight to Sara. He looked her up and down and raised an eyebrow.

"You're all grown up now, ain't ya?" He asked. Becky felt Jesse's hand tighten his grip at this. Both Jesse and Becky knew that Troy had sexually molested his daughter on more than one occasion, and the way he was looking at her now, Becky knew that Jesse wanted nothing more than to say something, or _do_ something. Becky reassuringly gave her husband's hand a squeeze, as though to say "This will be over soon. He can't do anything to her while we're here."

Troy took a seat on the arm of Allison's chair, and both of them glanced at Becky and Jesse. Becky cleared her throat.

"Thank you so much for agreeing to see your daughter," Becky put a bit of a stronger emphasis on the last part, "She really wanted to see you." Allison raised an eyebrow, staring at Sara.

"Why?" She wanted to know. Sara felt a lump forming in her throat. She shook her head a little.

"Because you're my parents." She said quietly, in disbelief. How could they ask _why?_

Allison shot Troy a glance, and then looked back at Sara.

"So you saw us in the grocery store, huh? That's what that nosy social worker of yours told us, anyway." Allison said. Sara nodded.

"Yeah." She swallowed. "I didn't think you'd ever come back here."

"Yeah well neither did we, but Troy got a job here in the city that would pay the bills, so we moved back. Seems like nothing's changed around here though." Allison replied. Sara nodded. Allison rolled her eyes.

"Seriously, why'd you come here? Just to see us? I don't believe that for a second. You saw us in the grocery store. There's more to this little rendezvous. What is it?" She snapped. Sara felt her body tense, as her mother's voice hadn't changed one bit. It sounded exactly the same as the last time Sara had listened to her mother yell at her. She finally looked up.

"I..." She felt Becky glance at her, encouraging her to go on. "I want to know...why?"

"Why what?" Troy asked.

"Why you left me." Sara replied, feeling tears forming in her eyes. She did _not_ want to cry in front of her parents. Not after what they did to her.

Troy and Allison exchanged glances, obviously not prepared for this question, but Troy finally opened his mouth.

"Look kid, don't take it so personally. I mean, hell, that was like ten years ago." He said. Sara felt her fists clench together.

"It was five years ago!" She said.

"We weren't ready to be parents, alright? It all happened so fast. God, it's not like I _thought _I would get Ally knocked up that one time. Damn condom broke. You weren't supposed to be there. We never _planned_ to have kids. You just had to come along, and we didn't want any kids. Our lives were fine just the way they were." Troy replied, looking to Allison for confirmation. She nodded.

"God, Sara, you were just so _needy._ 'Mommy this and daddy that, and mommy play with me and daddy look at the picture I drew.' Honestly, you just couldn't occupy yourself. Too damn needy. I'm surprised we lasted as long as we did. I mean, you were already six when we left." She explained.

"I was eight!" Sara snapped.

"Whatever!" Allison threw her hands up in the air, and looked over at her husband. "Seems she's still that needy little kid she always was. 'Oh, there's mommy and daddy in the grocery store. I gotta see them." She laughed a little. Sara swallowed hard, as she glared at them, hurt by what she was hearing, but still not understanding. She went on.

"If you weren't ready to be parents, why didn't you just put me up for adoption from the start?" She asked. Troy shrugged.

"That kind of thing looks bad on a person." He said simply.

"Why'd you go and have another kid?" Sara asked, raising her voice a little and leaning forward. "If you weren't ready to be parents, then how could you have another kid after you just _left_ me?" She felt Becky's hand on her back, assuring her she was doing fine, and they were still there for her.

"By the time Lisa came, we were _ready _to be parents_._ People change, you know." Allison said, checking her fingernails.

"If you were ready to be parents, then why didn't you try to find _me?_ Your first daughter?" Sara yelled out, and Allison stared at her, wild-eyed and angry. Sara would recognize that look anywhere.

"Look, we did what we did, and it's _over!_ Get over it! We did it, we moved on, I suggest you do the same. We don't regret a single decision we made, _especially_ the one we made when we left you. Obviously nothing that bad happened to you. They found you and put you in an orphanage or something. It was a good decision. We never wanted you, that's all. Deal with it!" She yelled out, glaring at Sara with hatred in her eyes.

Sara stared straight ahead at her mother, at a loss for words. There was nothing more to say. She had heard it out of their own mouths. They weren't ready to be parents, and even when they were, they didn't care to look for her, or be her parents again. They never loved her, they never wanted her, there was no hope of them apologizing or becoming the parents she had always hoped they would be. Proud and loving.

The loss hit her like a ton of bricks. She looked over at Jesse and Becky, not knowing what else to do. Her whole body was shaking, from trying to keep herself from crying. This wasn't fair! How the hell could she have thought for even just a _second_ that her parents would be anything different from what they had been? She felt stupid for ever thinking they could change.

"If I may say so, Mr. And Mrs. Stephenson, you both have made the _worst_ decision you could have ever made. Sara is such an awesome kid, with lots of talent and potential. She's pretty, she's smart, she's friendly and she's caring. I don't know how you could have just left her there, to fend for herself, but you missed out, because she's an amazing girl, and we are _very _grateful to have her. And unlike you, we're going to take care of her, and love her until the day we die!" Jesse said, winking over at Sara, who offered a smile.

"Sara's been such a light to our lives, and we know that you've hurt her very deeply. But we're going to be with her every step of the way, growing with her, nurturing and loving her, which is something you could never have done for her. I really hope you won't do the same thing to your youngest daughter." Becky said quietly. Sara swallowed hard as Jesse and Becky stood, motioning Sara to do the same. They were obviously getting ready to leave, but as Sara stood, she turned to face her parents once more.

"I'm leaving. I won't be back, you'll never have to see me again, but I only want to ask you one more thing." Sara said quietly. Allison sighed out loud.

"What?" She asked.

"I want to meet my little sister." Sara replied.

Troy and Allison exchanged glances, and seemed to be whispering amongst themselves. Sara had a feeling they weren't going to let her, but Jesse spoke up.

"Honestly, it's the least you could do after everything you put this kid through." He said, a little angrily. Finally, Troy nodded.

"Alright, but you're waking her up from her nap so don't be surprised if she's cranky now." He got up and headed up the stairs. Sara stood silently, looking over at Jesse and Becky, who smiled back reassuringly. Sara had no idea what she was going to say to Lisa, who was only three years old. There was so much she wanted to say, but knew she wouldn't understand.

Finally, Sara heard a groggy little yawn, and looked up to see her dad carrying a little girl in a purple dress, who was resting her head on her dad's shoulder. Troy rustled Lisa's hair and gave her a kiss. Sara's eyes stung from holding in the tears. She didn't remember her dad ever kissing _her._

Troy let Lisa down and as Lisa clung to her dad's leg, Sara knelt down on the ground.

"Hi Lisa, I'm Sara." She said quietly, as the little girl stared at Sara uncertainly, sucking on her thumb.

"Hi Sawa." Lisa replied shyly. "Like my doggie?" She held up a stuffed dog. Sara smiled.

"He's cute." She said.

"He name's Pokey. Mama gaved him to me." Lisa added, as she cuddled the animal close. "Wanna pet?" Lisa let go of her dad's leg and staggered forward, offering the stuffed dog to Sara. Smiling, Sara took it and stared at the little girl. It was looking at a childhood picture of herself. Lisa had the same dark hair, and chocolate brown eyes that she did. They also shared the same nose.

"Lisa, I can't stay long, I have to go, but I really wanted to meet you." Sara paused, not sure if Troy and Allison had told Lisa about her, but after everything they had put Sara through, she didn't care anymore. "See Lisa, I'm your big sister." Judging by the loud sigh that came from Allison, Sara was an unknown name in this household.

"Sister? Like Mole Sisters?" Lisa asked, chewing on her dog's ear. Sara smiled, recognizing the name of the cartoon show that Nikki and Alex watched.

"Yeah, kind of like the Mole Sisters, only we don't live together. But I want you to know that I'm glad we got to meet, and I hope we will again someday. And Lisa," She looked up rebelliously at her parents for a moment before she turned her eyes back to her sister, "I know you're too young to understand this, but I have to tell you anyway. Don't ever feel like you're not wanted, or that you're not loved okay? Because you'll always have a big sister out there who loves you very much. Okay?" Sara's heart was racing, her eyes were stinging and her head was spinning. This was all too much. She wasn't sure how much longer she would be able to go without letting herself cry.

"Kay sure Sawa. Mole sister." Lisa said with a giggle. Sara smiled as Troy lifted Lisa off the ground.

"Okay that's enough, back to bed Lazy Lisa." Lisa giggled as Troy took her back upstairs, snuggling her close. Lisa waved from over his shoulder and Sara waved back. Allison just watched Sara with a raised eyebrow, arms crossed.

"Come on Sara, it's time to go." Jesse said, laying his hand on her shoulder. Sara looked once more at the staircase, still hearing Lisa's giggles, and her dad laughing too. It was over. There was nothing more her parents could tell her. There was nothing more she wanted to hear. It was over.

Turning from her mother, Sara walked with Jesse and Becky out of the house. She didn't say anything to Allison, or to Troy, who had come back downstairs. There was nothing left to say. She knew, walking out of that house, that she would never see them again, or Lisa, for that matter. That hurt her more than anything.

* * *

"Sweetheart, I know that wasn't easy for you. We're very proud of you." Becky said, once they were in the car, driving away from the house.

"Yep, you said all the right things, and handled what they said very well." Jesse added. Sara's tears had already leaked over, and she was crying now, accepting Becky's tissue without hesitation.

"I just don't get it! Why didn't they want me? I mean, why did they want Lisa, but not me? What's _wrong_ with me?" She cried out, wiping her eyes on the tissue. Becky turned around in her seat, staring at Sara seriously.

"Hey, I thought we talked about this, Sara. This isn't _your_ fault. You did _nothing_ to deserve what they did to you. You are absolutely amazing, and there is nothing wrong with you. There's everything wrong with _them._ They made a very bad decision that they can never take back. I'm so sorry that you had to hear them say all of those nasty things to you Sara." Becky said. Sara shook her head.

"I just didn't want to believe it, you know? I just wanted to believe that maybe they had changed. Maybe they didn't come looking for me because they didn't think I'd still be around, but I guess I was wrong. They didn't come looking for me because they didn't _want_ to." She paused, sniffling. "What if they do the same thing to Lisa? Shouldn't they take her away from them?" The thought broke her heart, thinking of that happy little girl, that _innocent_ little girl who wanted nothing more than her parents' love and affection. _Just like me._ Sara thought, but the difference was, Lisa was getting it. But what if that changed? What Troy and Allison decided one day that Lisa was just as 'needy' as Sara, and began to hit her, or do things to her? What if they decided one day they weren't interested and dumped Lisa like they did Sara? The thought sickened her.

"I know Sara, but they can't take Lisa away from them. They've done nothing to Lisa to bring about any kind of suspicion, but Ms. Morrison told us that social services is keeping their eye on them, because of their history and what they did to you, but Lisa might be with them for a long time. As much as that hurts you, Sara, you have to accept it." Jesse said with a long sigh.

Sara sighed, as she leaned back in her seat. So mu had changed in the span of an hour, and yet things still remained the same. Her parents still hated her, never wanted her, or chanything to do with her. That much hadn't changed, but now Sara had a little sister who was living the same life she had always wanted to have. One with her parents acceptance and love. She could only pray that Lisa wouldn't have to go through what she did, desperate to gain her parents' attention.

Still, Sara hadn't lost everything, and she was glad of that. Somehow, even through all of the pain she had endured, through all of the nightmares she had had to go through on a daily basis, she was not forgotten. Jesse and Becky had found her, and taught her that she _was_ loved, that she _was_ special, that she _was_ wanted.

As they drove home, Becky and Jesse still talking to her from the front seat, Sara smiled to herself. Maybe she didn't have _her _parents love and approval, but she was still loved by Jesse and Becky, people who had shown her what a real mom and dad was.

Somehow, in that moment, Sara knew that she was going to be just fine.

The End! Thanks for all your reviews. If you have ideas for a third addition of Sara's life, you can let me know. I probably wont' write it for a while, but this was a fun one to write. Thanks again.


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